Baby Bargain
by trumpee-Aiyana
Summary: In a world where Light never found the Death Note, Mello and Matt are still the genius Wammy boys just trying to have a normal relationship in LA. But what happens when, on their 5th anniversary, Matt tells Mello he wants to have a baby? My first story. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

For the first time in a long time, Mello was dreading an evening with Matt. Not because they were arguing, no; they were doing perfect, as far as relationships go. But tonight was THE night. Their 5th anniversary. Granted they'd been dating since he was 15, so they were only now starting to have a real, adult relationship, but Matt had always been a hopeless romantic- he'd start crying whenever he heard that Celine Dion song from Titanic. So, Mello wasn't exactly dreading the night so much as worried that he wouldn't be able to come through. What if Matt expected some huge ordeal, with flowers and singing? Or a private dinner where Mello would drop to one knee and profess his unending love for him? It was too much pressure for just one dinner. It was just a day, after all. Mello didn't see the importance of it. Just dinner. Just a date. Just an anniversary…..with Matt.

His concentration was broken then when one of his men came to stand before him, clearing his throat impatiently.

"Marcus." He said quietly, raising his eyes from the floor to meet those of his employee. "I'm about to leave, this had better be fucking important."

Marcus cleared his throat again and looked nervous. Nobody interrupted Mello when he was brooding, especially not when he was about to go home. "You got a call, sir. It's your friend Matt."

Mello chuckled inwardly as he rose to leave the room and pick up the phone. Matt was probably calling to make sure that Mello was leaving, to make sure that he wouldn't cancel tonight's dinner plans for work. The thought flickered through Mello's mind for a second, but he quickly cast it aside. He'd canceled on Matt only once, and the disappointment in the red head's eyes, even behind the goggles, was a look Mello never wanted to see again. Which was why tonight's anniversary was stressing Mello out more than his job. He picked up the phone and took Matt off hold.

"Yeah Matty." He said, giving Marcus the signal to leave the room.

"Oh hi Mells!" Matt chirped from the other end. "I've been on hold for like EVER. And you should really think about getting some 'on hold' music to play, because listening to nothing is boring when you're waiting to talk to someone. I had to hum to myself to stay awake." He was rambling again. Typical, absent minded Matt. "Listen. Uh, I know you said that calling you at work wasn't allowed, but your cell was off and I just wanted to make sure that…."

"….Make sure of what, Matt?" _Here it comes…._Mello thought.

"Make sure….that…."

Mello sighed. Matt was nervous, like he fully expected Mello to say that something had come up at work, or that he wouldn't be able to make it tonight.

"Matt…"

"I just wanted to call and see if we were still on for dinner tonight? I mean we can always eat at the apartment if you have to stay late…" The defeat in Matt's voice made Mello cringe. He hated seeing Matt upset, and hearing it was just as bad.

"I'll be at our apartment in 20 minutes. I was just about to leave when you called. Be dressed and ready, so we can leave as soon as I change. Okay?"

Matt's voice was noticeably happier. "Oh okay!" Mello smiled. Back to normal. "I'll be ready. I can't wait, oh my god It's going to be so much fun! Can'ya believe it Mells? 5 years! To the day! Well, night, actually. Whatever. I'll see you soon!" Mello replaced the phone back to its cradle and sighed. Matt definitely had high expectations for tonight. One date couldn't possibly demonstrate how strongly Mello cared for Matt, but he was determined to show as much as he could tonight, whatever the cost.

45 minutes later, they were finally making their way to the restaurant, electing travel on foot rather than take a cab or use Matt's car. They would have departed sooner, but a semi-formal Matt was sitting on their apartment floor, totally engrossed in the television. When Mello emerged some 15 minutes later, fully dressed and ready to leave, Matt refused to budge, offering "I'm almost past my high score, if I leave now there could be a power outage or something and everything would be ruined…" as an explanation for the delay. So Mello waited. And waited. Until finally Matt leapt into the air with a cry of "YES! In your FACE!" then saw Mello's impatient look, calmed down and walked to the door with a smile.

They walked down the sidewalk, Matt in black dress pants and an appropriate top, still emblazoned with his trademark stripes however. Mello donned leather as usual. In Matt's opinion, the best part about living in Los Angeles was that they could walk hand in hand down the street without anybody making a big deal out of it. Not like in England, where they were scoffed at during the critical first months of their complicated relationship. Some girls didn't get the message, however, and tried flirting with Matt whenever they'd stop walking to look at something, usually Mello inspecting a particular building he found interesting or Matt gawking at the doors of the video game store. An angry look from Mello usually shut them up, but occasionally he'd smother Matt with a pants-tightening kiss to make sure they understood. The shock on their faces was amusing, but not as amusing as Matt trying to fight arousal in public. Now, though, they walked uninterrupted to the small restaurant where almost a month ago Mello had called in reservations for two.

There was a line at the door as the restaurant slowly processed each reservation, and Matt whipped out his DS when they took their place in line behind a couple only slightly older than themselves. Mello was content to stare at the sky, shoot glares at the douchebag that was checking out his leather clad ass, then stare at the sky some more. The woman in front of them turned, and Mello noticed she was pregnant. _No chance of that ever being me, fortunately._ He thought, glancing at the man standing beside her. _I'm pretty sure Matt doesn't have a uterus. _ Matt was looking at the young couple too, but then returned his goggled gaze to the small screen in his hands.

_It's like he's not even paying attention. _Mello thought to himself, looking at Matt out of the corner of his eye._ Maybe he really doesn't care about the anniversary? Otherwise wouldn't he be chattering nonstop about how we met and how much he loves me and stuff? Or is that conversation for dinner? He seems pretty nonchalant right now….._

The couple ahead of them made it to the reservation desk in the foyer of the restaurant, and Matt put his DS back in his pocket. Mello smiled at him softly, most of the anxiety in his stomach having left. This was just a dinner after all. When they were seated and placed their orders, Mello looked across the table at his boyfriend, the one constant that had always been present in his life, and listened to him recount his day. Fuck, he loved him. More than he would ever know. At that moment, Mello was sure he'd do anything Matt asked him, no matter how ridiculous. Then Matt took his goggles off.

There were only two reasons Matt would take his goggles off; if he had something important to say or they were in bed, sleeping or otherwise occupied. And unless Matt planned to shock everyone in the restaurant by bending over their dinner table and doing the deed, Mello knew he was about to say something serious.

"Mells…" He said quietly. The intense green of his eyes seemed to tunnel straight into Mello's own, causing his heart to jump suddenly.

"Yeah Matt?" Mello was nervous again. Matt really did want this night to be special. Was he not doing enough? Should he ask the waiter for the house's finest champagne? They hadn't even been served yet…

"I was thinking. We've been together for a while now,"

Mello's heart began to beat faster. _Shitshitshitshit, I did something wrong, this dinner's not right, I should have picked a nicer restaurant, he wants me to propose marriage shiiiiit….._ Matt was still talking.

"And it's always just been us. Back at Wammy's, when we moved to America…It's always just been you and me."

"I like you and me." Mello said. _What am I supposed to say?_

"I like you and me too, Mells. But, It's just, you've got your work and stuff, I feel like we don't really have the same kind of relationship we used to."

"What do you mean, Matt?" _IS HE FUCKING TRYING TO BREAK UP WITH ME?!_

"I mean, in England, you were my only friend. And then you were my boyfriend, my only boyfriend, since ever. We moved here, and we toughed it out until you got a good job and worked your way up to boss…now we have a lot of money and a nicer apartment…"

Mello's work was the Mafia, naturally. Being the boss came with many perks, loads of cash being one of them.

"What are you trying to say, Matt?" Mello was scared. _He's unhappy. He's breaking up with me. I'm not enough to keep him satisfied. Oh god, why? _

"I was just thinking we could use something to reconnect, you know? To get back to where we used to be. Depending on each other and whatever." Matt shrugged, like the statement was as casual as telling Mello the TV went out or that he wanted Chinese food instead of Thai for dinner. Mello, on the other hand, was relieved to the point of smiling openly, something he rarely did.

"What'd you have in mind, Matty?" This was much better. If Matt wanted to reconnect, they'd be on a plane to Hawaii in the morning. A vacation sounded pretty good, actually. "Wanna go on vacation? Spend some quality time?"

Matt looked nervous now. "Well, that wasn't exactly my first thought.."

Mello chuckled. "Dirty, dirty minded young man. What do you want? Anything. I'll make it happen."

Matt's face was as read as his hair, and his eyes were glued to his drinking glass. "Well…what if..we…"

Mello cocked an eyebrow. What did Matt want that had him this hesitant to say?

"What if we hmmderbebmmm…."

"What?

"What..if.. we…hmmdebabmnmnphmn…"

"What if we WHAT?"

Matt sighed and looked Mello straight in the eyes and said: "What if we had a baby?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Well, here's chapter two! I'm sooo happy you guys liked it. Special thanks to everyone who favorited, followed or reviewed. I squealed this morning when I checked my email! You guys are awesome ^^. **

**I'm worried I'm making Matt a little too feminine, what do you guys think? Should I switch to his POV to clear up his personality? Anyways, here we go!**

Mello sat stunned for a second, trying to comprehend what he'd just heard. Then he burst into uncontrolled, rolling laughter. "Hahahaa…..Jesus Matty." He started to giggle, holding his stomach and gripping the table for support. "For a second I honestly thought you were serious!" More laughter. But Mello noticed something- Matt wasn't laughing. Instead, he was blushing and biting his lip, the goggles plastered to his eyes again so Mello couldn't see them clearly.

Panting, Mello straightened himself in his chair as a middle-aged waiter in white presented their meals to them. Both boys remained in a strained silence as their plates were set before them.

"Thank you," Mello said to the man. "And if it isn't too much trouble, could you please bring a bottle of champagne? Tonight's a special night, you see."

"Certainly, sir." The waiter said quietly. "But first, might I see a verification of your ages? Simply protocol, you understand."

Mello laughed and dug his wallet out of his tight leather pants, handing his drivers' license to the waiter. Matt silently did the same. The man inspected the cards for a moment, then returned them both to Mello.

"I see the young man has only recently turned of age?" The waiter said, gesturing to Matt. "Congratulations. I'll be back with a drink menu shortly." When he turned to leave, Mello looked at Matt.

"Matt."

"Hmm?"

"Were you serious?"

"Don't worry about it Mello. It was a stupid idea."

"Matt. I'm sorry, but we don't have the ability to have a kid. You know that, right?"

Matt looked at him pointedly. "I'm not stupid, Mells. There are other ways to get a baby."

Surprise colored Mello's face. "If you think I'm going to kidnap a kid-"

"Adoption, Mello. Jesus." Matt didn't look nervous anymore. Apparently they were going to debate this at dinner. Wonderful. "Or a surrogate. Why the hell would I ask you to kidnap a baby?"

"I don't know." Mello picked up his fork and began to twirl pasta around on his plate. Matt still hadn't touched his food. "Maybe because of what I do? It'd be pretty easy, to be honest."

Matt just stared at him. This dinner was becoming the disaster Mello had been afraid of.

"Can you imagine? Us raising a baby. Think of how smart it would be?"

"Matt. This isn't happening. Eat your food." Mello took a bite of his pasta and chewed it silently. "Can't we just get like a dog or something?"

"Yeah whatever. I don't care." Matt looked disappointed. Mello sighed, obviously he'd put a lot of thought into this. It wasn't just a random thought that popped into his head. They didn't speak for a while, each boy electing to silently chew his food and mull over his own thoughts. When their water brought the drink menu, Mello ordered the first thing he saw with triple digits in the price. But still, no matter how much he spoiled Matt, he had that hurt look on his face.

When Matt excused himself to the washroom, Mello asked the musicians in the corner of the restaurant if they took requests. After some confusion and a quick internet search, and when Matt was back at their table, the violins and cello broke into an orchestral rendition of the Mario theme. Matt smiled and reached over the table to hold Mello's hand. The other diners simply noted the change of musical style and continued eating. This was Matt's night, and if anyone tried messing up his gift, Mello would happily break their face.

"Mells…how did you get them to agree to this?"

"I can be very persuasive." Matt smiled at that, their previous conversation forgotten. Everything was okay now, back to normal, perfect again.

"You know….It's kind of cheesy." Matt said. "For you, I mean."

"Shut up. You know you love it."

Matt just smiled and hummed along, sipping his champagne and marveling at Mello's ability to make him fall even more in love with him every night.

After they left dinner, they were walking down the sidewalk, hand in hand at Matt's request. Nighttime was falling quickly. It was almost 9 pm. They passed a children's playground to their left, and Mello saw that longing look on Matt's face again. Doubtless his eyes were glued to the single dad waiting on a bench for his daughter to finish playing. Mello frowned; it wasn't possible for them to have a kid. Not legally, anyway. Plus, Mello wasn't sure if he even liked kids. He wasn't around them very often, and when he was he usually avoided touching them at all costs. Still, raising a kid with Matt….

If it had either of their DNA, the kid would be intelligent. Probably just as smart as they were. But how could that happen? Surrogates involved legal agreements, hospitals, a lot of things they tried to avoid. How exactly was he supposed to explain to a social worker that he was a Mafia boss, so yes their kid would be well taken care of, just don't call the cops 'cause then he'd have to kill her, so don't ask questions and give us a uterus? That conversation wouldn't go so well. When they returned to the apartment, and after Matt jumped him in the shower (never doubt it, Matt was always in the mood, especially on nights like this,) Mello was laying in their bed as Matt snored quietly beside him. He couldn't really be thinking this, could he? After all, a dog would be just as good. They didn't need a kid. They couldn't navigate the legal system safely. One or both of them would end up in jail instead. Matt had hacked into government networks before, and Mello was the head of the LA mafia. Social workers, background checks, just the thought of all the red tape they'd have to work through was enough to let Mello know that adoption wasn't on the table. He pulled the blankets over Matt's bare torso and closed his eyes, hoping to sleep and forget about this insane dream Matt had.

Mello frowned. Matt had always been a dreamer. He wanted to have a life outside of Wammy's House, away from training to be L's successors, so they had. He wanted to be anything but a detective, so they had. But didn't Matt deserve to be a dreamer? When Mello went to work, he saw things no normal person should ever have to see, he did things no sane human ever wanted to do. Just to keep Matt safe. And if things like that existed in the world, didn't Matt deserve to dream of a world away from that? With that thought, Mello drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Mello had to meet with the owner of a nightclub he was considering buying. The club was a front for a prostitution ring, and Mello was under a lot of pressure from his men to buy into a partnership. Mello's organization had its own prostitution ring, but there was nothing wrong with expanding, or at least that was the general consensus around the building. The money that this deal would bring in was enough to convince Mello to make it, but he still had to meet with the current owner of the nightclub to make sure he wasn't trying to scam him. He was standing in the middle of his plush office, facing the greasy, older man that was leaving sweat stains on his suede loveseat.

"I'm offering a 70/30 split for the next 5 years," Mello said. "then I want full ownership." He was wearing black leather of course, and the man was staring at Mello's slightly bared midriff, where the V of his vest exposed his navel. Mello cleared his throat and the club owner, a slick man named Tyrone, raised his gaze to meet Mello's glare.

"70/30?" He said. "Shit man, you tryin' to cut me outta my own business?" They were arguing over legitimate ownership of the club itself, not the underground business connected with it. Mello tapped his thumb on the gun holstered to his hip.

"It crossed my mind, believe me." Tyrone's eyes narrowed and he sat up straighter, his swollen stomach stretching his stained white tank top even more. Mello cocked an eyebrow. "I understand you're in financial trouble." He said. "This deal can keep you living comfortably for the next few years. I advise you to take advantage of my generosity."

The man looked at him narrowly, crossing his arms over his large belly. "Generosity?" he chuckled. "What if I told you the Diamonds offered me more?"

"The Diamonds couldn't possibly have offered you more. They don't have the resources I do." They were referring to a small downtown LA gang that fancied themselves "Backstreet Royalty." Compared to Mello's organization, the Diamonds were very weak. Weak and very young, and somewhat ridiculous. Mello only knew of their existence because they had tried to take over one of his loan offices over a year ago, and the magnitude of that failure had shown the Diamonds that you didn't mess with Mello. Still, the Diamonds had an attitude of superiority and entitlement about them, so Mello knew not to underestimate them too much. Given the right leadership and some outside funding, they could grow into a force to be dealt with. Until that day, though, Mello knew they were simply big headed gang members with no leader and no organization.

"They've made an offer." Tyrone said, a smirk on his face. "One I'm considering. Are you willing to buy them out?"

"No offer they've made can be better than the one I just gave you." Mello growled. "They might give you an amount, but they don't have the money to back it up. Take my offer, leave, and live comfortably."

The man looked like he was going to object some more, but Mello cut him off. "You have two days to consider. I want your decision as soon as you've made it. Take any longer than that, and I won't be interested."

"Hey now, this is still on the table! I'm not done-" Mello cut him off by buzzing his intercom and having two men escort a swearing Tyrone the nightclub owner out of his office. Before he was out the door, Mello called out: "Two days, no more."

Mello frowned. The Diamonds interfering with his business meant they'd gained some power, either in finances or membership. They still didn't have enough to threaten Mello, but he didn't feel like dealing with their idiocy anytime soon. His thoughts drifted back to the previous night. Did Matt really want a kid? He brooded over that thought for a while, then, as he is famous for doing, made a hasty decision that would impact both their lives.

The next day, Mello stayed late at work. At his orders, one of his men dragged a blindfolded young woman, no more than nineteen or twenty, down to the building's basement and bound her to a wooden chair. Her blonde hair fell messily over the blindfold, and tears were streaming down her face, making its usual pale complexion red and streaky. She was begging for her life, sobbing and screaming. The man raised his hand to slap her silent, but Mello had just walked through the door and waved him away.

"Remove the blindfold, Xavier." He said. The man did as he was told, and tear filled blue eyes looked around frantically, finally settling on Mello's own.

"What..Why have you taken me?" She asked as her whole body shook with fear.

"Alice Mcready." Mello stated softly.

She looked confused. "How do you know my name?"

"You work at the club owned by Tyrone Jameson, is that correct?" The girl was silent for some time, until Mello motioned for one of his men, who quickly started to advance toward her.

"Uhh..I guess so. I mean I'm not a dancer or a waitress or anything, but…"

"How long have you worked for Mister Jameson?"

Alice shrugged. "Not very long. In fact, it's only been like two weeks since he….hired….me."

"What kind of situation were you in that made you agree to this kind of work?" Mello asked, seeing the girl's face cloud with shame when her real job was understood.

"I… Why do you want to know? Are you with the Diamonds?"

"Don't worry about my motives. Worry about getting back to your job safely. Answer my questions."

Alice frowned and cleared her throat. She wasn't crying anymore. "I got into some trouble recently. My ex-boyfriend had ties to a gang downtown, the Diamonds I think. Anyway, he couldn't pay them for something and managed to convince their leader that it was my fault. Now he's out of the state somewhere, and they're threatening to hurt me if I don't pay them back."

Mello nodded in understanding. Alice looked at her shoes and asked: "Are you with them?"

The other men in the room laughed to themselves, and Mello smirked. "No. We are not the Diamonds. You don't need to know who we are."

Alice's lips tightened. "Fair enough. What do you want?"

"How much money are they wanting?"

"…..Fifty thousand dollars."

Mello raised an eyebrow at the amount. It was pricey, but doable.

"Alice." He said softly. She looked up at him again.

"What."

"What if I offered you a new job? I'll pay you anything you want, and when you're done working for me I'll give you a new life anywhere you want."

"I think you're crazy."

"Perhaps. But I've got my own agenda. I'm offering you enough to pay the Diamonds back right now, then however much you want when you're finished."

"When can I get the Diamonds' money?"

"Right now. Immediately." Mello flicked his hand to a man in the corner, who left the room.

"What makes you think I'll trust you?"

Mello looked at her, saying nothing.

"…okay, what if I want to move to Kazakhstan?"

"You'll be on a plane with a full visa the morning after you finish the job."

"What if I want a million dollars?"

"Look around you, dear. Do you think we don't have it to spare?" Even the basement was ornately decorated, with granite floors and crystal chandelier above their heads.

The man Mello had signaled earlier returned with a steel brief case and stood beside Mello, pulling it open to reveal stacks of $100 bills. Alice's mouth fell open at the sight.

"Fifty thousand." Mello said. "Consider it a gift, to sweeten the deal a little?"

The woman was amazed. How could she not say yes? It was an immediate answer. No more running from a gang, no more…work… she could finish whatever she had to do and have the rest of her life to herself. The room stayed silent as she looked from the money, to Mello, to the floor, around the room, and back to the money. Finally, she asked "What's this job?"

The men around the room smiled. Anyone could be bought, it seemed. Only Mello kept a straight face when he said "I want you to surrogate a child for me."

**A/N: Weeeelllll…..there ya go. I wrote this in a day, it's probably boring and hard to read and confusing and any negative way to describe it. But, you guys are so cool that I just HAD to write something.? And don't worry, the girl won't be THAT important of a character. E.g., she'll be a background character. The story is about Mello and Matt being parents, not some chick having their kid. I just really hate OCs. Haha. Soo…..why not let me know what you thought? It really helps and may…hint hint…determine things about the story. Like maybe the gender of the babeh? HMMM? **

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	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Hai guys! Just a little personal update, for the past few days I have been SICK. Too sick to eat, move, or type. So, delays. Sorry 'bout that. Anywho, I'm feeling a little better now. Also, it occurred to me recently that I haven't been putting the big DISCLAIMER thing at the top of my chapters. So just so you know, I totally own Death Note, the characters, the story, etc. That's why I'm writing FAN FICTION about it, instead of making everything canon. That was sarcasm, folks. Don't sue me, I'm trying to pay for college. **

** Thanks to everyone who's following, reviewing, etc. I LOVE ALL OF YOU! 3 **

**^That heart can't possibly illustrate how much I love all of you, so here's chapter three!**

"…..So let me get this straight;" Alice said skeptically. "You abduct me, drag me into the most expensive basement I've ever seen, pay off my debt and ask me to have your kid?"

Mello kept calm, nodding to Alice's recap of the past hour matter-of-factly. "Technically, it's a ball room. However we aren't the type to host eccentric dances very often, so it functions as a cellar for deliveries and the like." Alice eyed him slowly, taking in his handsome features. Long blonde hair, striking blue eyes and a cat-like figure- her own hair paled in comparison, and any woman would be jealous of the way his stomach looked under that leather. He had strong arms and a broad collar…she wouldn't mind making a baby with him at all.

"You speak very elegantly, you know that?" she asked. She wasn't sure what to say after _that _particular train of thought.

"I fail to see how that is relevant, Ms. Mcready." Mello said. "Will you take my offer or not?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "It's relevant because most people around LA, especially the criminals, talk like they failed preschool." Mello tightened his lips in annoyance. Perhaps she wasn't the best choice after all? She was talking again. "And what kind of woman do you think I am?"

The other mafia members around the room laughed openly at that. Alice glared at them. "You haven't even told me your name, or who you work for, or anything for that matter. If I do this, you're going to have to be more open. And can we please have this discussion somewhere else?"

Mello thought for a moment. "I'm sure we can arrange for you to be more comfortable. How would you like to come back to my apartment? We can work out all of the details there, privately."

Alice blushed slightly. Oh yes, she'd love to work some things out in private with him. "That sounds doable." Mello waived his hand to a short man in the corner.

"Arrange for a driver." He said to the man. It was intriguing for Alice to see these men take orders from someone so much younger than they were. How did he get to be their boss? Was he the gang leader's son or something?

"One last thing." She said as another man started to untie her. "What's your name?"

"Mello." He stated as he left the room, the woman following him, surrounded by an entourage of muscled men in expensive suits.

**(Author's note: What's this then, Matt's POV?!)**

Matt had spent the day in relative silence since he was the only one in the apartment. He'd begged Mello for a butler once, especially one like L had, that cooked all day and did whatever you told him to. But no an English one. He'd grown tired of the British accent long ago, when they'd both been schooled in England. Mello had said no, that having a butler would be too invasive. He didn't mind the idea, not really, but he did mention that a live-in servant would mean they'd have to stop the, as Matt called them, "impromptu sexy times." That point ended the discussion of whether or not another person should ever live with them.

Upon waking up alone in the bed he shared with Mello, Matt showered and put on his clothes for the day- which meant he put on a clean pair of boxers and left the bathroom. Not bothering to brush his teeth until closer to time for Mello to get home, he pushed past the milk carton and eggs, digging until he found what he wanted for breakfast.

After tossing two cinnamon pop-tarts into the toaster, Matt faced the hardest decision of the day: did he want to play his Xbox, the PS3, or his DS? He glanced at the clock: it was 10 AM. Mello would be home around nine or ten tonight; there wouldn't be enough time to play all three. He mulled this over as he waited for his breakfast, running a hand through his still wet hair. _Not enough time?_ He thought as his pop-tarts sprang from the toaster, beautifully crisped and ready to devour. _Challenge accepted._

He sat in the same position for hours, moving only to go to the bathroom, change systems and once to microwave some instant noodles for lunch. He sat on the couch in his boxers, killed some 13 year olds online, and smoked a whole pack before seeing a black SUV pull into the lot. Mello was back! But he wasn't riding his motorcycle? Matt paused the game, ran into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, combed his hair to hang disheveled over his goggles.

"Sexy." He said, looking at his reflection, before hearing footsteps nearing the door. He charged out of the bathroom and leapt on the couch, making sure the first thing Mello saw upon entering was his bare chest and boxers. He smiled sensually when Mello entered, but almost screamed when he was followed in by a woman wearing a disturbingly little amount of clothing. Before they could see him, he jumped to the floor to hide behind the side of the couch, peeking carefully over the arm.

"And this is my apartment," Mello was explaining to her. She was looking around, examining the expensive furniture and décor. Matt eyed her. He didn't like the way she was walking, swaying her hips like some kind of seductress. Didn't she know Mello was gay?

"And Matt should be around here somewhere…" Mello said. Matt was about to stand up and reveal himself when he saw the woman, that BITCH take off her jacket, revealing even more skin, and turn Mello around to face her in confusion.

"Your roommate isn't here?" She said in a low voice, pressing her chest against Mello's leather vest. "Oh well, it will be more fun doing this job without him." BITCH. WHORE. OH HELL NO.

Mello's eyes went wide and Alice was sent flying into the wall when Matt pounced half-naked from behind the couch, screaming something along the lines of whatthefuckdoyouthinkyou'redoingyoubitch?!" Mello tried to explain things, but Matt was on the war path. He stormed over to Alice and picked her up off the floor, just to shove her back against the wall. Her eyes were wide with surprise and Matt pinned her arms to her sides, his face inches from her ears as he yelled insults so loud Mello wasn't even sure what he was saying.

Quickly, Mello pulled Matt away from harassing Alice and the girl sank to the floor, shocked and sobbing.

"Matt! What the hell?!"

Matt turned on him them. "What the hell? Don't act like I'm going something wrong! You were going to cheat on me!"

"I was not!"

"Then explain why this NASTY CORNER SKANK was rubbing all over you just now?" Matt turned to glare at Alice, who stood up and opened her mouth to speak. Mello cut her off.

"I think she may have gotten the wrong impression."

"What impression should she have gotten?!" Matt's voice was noticeably higher pitched. He was still yelling, but not quite as loud as before. "You brought her, a NASTY CORNER SKANK to your apartment. Do you know what NASTY CORNER SKANKS do when they're brought to apartments?"

Mello put his hands on each of Matt's shoulders. "Matty. Calm down." Matt glared at him. "I'm not cheating on you. This woman is doing a job for me."

Matt's eyes softened slightly. "What kind of job?"

Alice came to stand near them, still cautious of an angry, bare-chested Matt. Mello smiled. "She's going to be our surrogate."

Matt looked confused for a second, then his mouth spread into a huge grin. "Mells!" He said, pulling the blonde into a tight hug.

"I thought it over, this is the best way to do it if we're going to." Matt was still beaming, holding Mello against him and looking over at Alice.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he asked her. "I could have hurt you!"

Alice was still blank faced. Mello was….gay. Shit. "I forgot to mention it." Matt chuckled.

"Sorry about that. Really. I'm very thankful that you're doing this for us."

Mello tugged himself free of Matt's embrace and straightened his vest. "Alice, this would be my boyfriend Matt."

"You're gay." Alice stated. She still couldn't believe it, but it seemed more plausible by the second. The flawless complexion, the subtle flare of his hips... Mello was slightly feminine, she had to admit. But he was obviously the male in this relationship, if the other man's reaction earlier was any indication.

"Yes."

"When did you plan on telling me this?"

"I thought you would notice. I'm not exactly shy about it." Matt laughed at that.

"I didn't think that at all."

"Well, I'm sorry for the miscommunication. Would you like something to drink? I'm sure you'd appreciate something to calm your nerves." Matt laughed at that as well, then pulled a chair from the bar for her to sit on.

"Thank you." She said. "Now. Which one of you is going to be the actual father?"

**Author's note: Yeaaaah…..I really don't like the ending for this chapter. But, I got a massive case of writer's block, so that's what you get. Meh. Anyway, reviews please? **

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	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: EEEP! I am so excited! So many reviews! So many favorites! It's awesome. Seriously. You guys are awesome. I'd name you all off, but there are so many of you! You know who you are, and I hope you know how much I LOVE. YOU. Like for serious. In this chapter, Mello, Matt and Alice are working out the details of the agreement, Matt asks Alice some questions, and makes his own illustrations for their family meeting….**

** AAAAAaaaannnd….BEGIN!**

The day after Mello had brought Alice home, Matt spent the whole day putting together a presentation to establish the ground rules for their agreement. Alice left early that day to go pay off the Diamonds, and returned around noon in a contagiously happy mood. Matt noted that she wasn't shy around him anymore, and proceeded to grill her with very personal questions.

"In order to confirm your desirability as a surrogate, I need to ask you a few questions." He said. Alice looked up from the book she was reading, one of Mello's crime dramas.

"Okay, that makes sense. Shoot."

"What was your grade point average in high school?" Matt asked as he took out a clipboard with a huge stack of paper clipped to it.

"Hmm….I don't really remember. I think it was like a 3.5 or so."

Matt wrote something down on his papers and nodded. "Average, then?"

Alice looked offended. "Average? That's really good for around here!"

Matt looked up over the top edge of his clipboard at her. "Mello and I both graduated with perfect 5.0s."

"Well you can't compare me to you two!" Alice protested. "You guys aren't even American! Everyone knows that our school system is awful compared to other countries'."

Matt didn't apologize. "Did you excel at anything in particular while you were in school?"

"I was cheer captain." She said with pride in her eyes.

Matt looked at her again. Long, blonde hair, natural but with unnecessary highlights, bright pink lip gloss and a chest that would make another man drool. "I expected that. I meant something important, like chemistry or trig."

"I didn't take either of those. I did geometry and algebra though."

Matt took another note and nodded. "How was your math skill?"

"It was…okay….we had to keep our grades good to cheer, so I always tried hard."

"I see. Next question. How many sexual partners have you had within the past two months?"

"Why do you need to know that?!" Alice shrieked. Matt sighed.

"A high number of sexual encounters increase your risk for a sexually transmitted disease."

"I know that. I get tested for that stuff at the gynecologist every year."

"Be that as it may, some diseases like HIV, HPV and cervical cysts can lie dormant for years before registering on those tests. I don't want my son given an STD before he's born."

"So you want a boy, then?"

"Alice. Please answer the question, we have a lot more to cover."

Alice blushed. "Well….only two since I broke up with Ron."

"Ron is the assjack that left you in debt with that pissed out little gang downtown?"

Alice chuckled. "Yeah. I started work at the club, but Mello…er….picked me up before I could do much."

Matt nodded and wrote this information down. "You'll need to be tested again soon, and again in a month."

Alice shrugged. "Whatever."

"Excellent." He shifted his weight in his chair, turning to hang his legs off one chair arm and rest his head on the other. "Does your family have any serious health issues? Any history of heart disease, cancer, male pattern baldness, etc?"

"Male pattern baldness?"

"Mello and I are orphans. We don't know our families' health history, so I'm trying to figure out if our son is going to be bald at 40."

Alice frowned. They were orphans? No wonder they cared so much for each other. Matt was all Mello had, and vice versa. "My dad has a full head of hair at 50, mom still does yoga, and both sets of grandparents lived to be 80 or so."

"Very good, very good." Matt wrote more. "On a scale of one to five, please rate the current safety of your uterus."

"….what?"

Matt was dead serious. "Do you regularly run into tables or counters? Do you have a tendency to inject narcotics into your abdomen?"

"No, and no. What the hell?"

"I'm going to give you a probationary level four security clearance then." Matt wrote that down.

"Probationary?"

"It could change. I will monitor your actions for a while to determine your actual uterine security level."

"Are you for real?"

"This is important information, miss."

Alice sighed. "Fine, whatever. Next question."

"Given your previous state of….employment…." Matt said, "are you currently addicted to any narcotics, alcohol, or any other controlled substances?"

"No." No explanation. Alice was getting tired of the barrage of insulting questions.

"What's your philosophy on life?"

"Yolo."

Matt looked up. "Yolo?"

"You only live once."

"I see." He put his pencil back to his clipboard. "A philosophy like that could be used to justify any number of reckless actions and stupid decisions."

"It's not like that, you see I think you should get the best out of every day in-"

"Do you have any seasonal allergies? Perhaps hay fever or pollen sensitivity?"

Alice's eyes narrowed. He interrupted her explanation. "I get a little stuffy in the spring, but nothing unbearable."

"Have you had any cosmetic surgeries?"

"No."

"Do you like cats or dogs?"

Forget asking questions. She was just going to answer every one to get this over with as soon as possible. "Cats."

"Have you ever had a prescription for eyeglasses?"

"No."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Favorite way to calm down?"

"Yoga."

"Do you frequently experience fits of rage, anger or other abusive actions?"

"No."

"Do you sleep walk?"

"I don't think so."

"How often do you drink alcohol?"

"Not often, maybe about twice a week."

"How often does this activity result in drunkenness, hangovers, or random sexual encounters?"

"I've only been drunk once, and I've never had a hangover."

"Do you prefer reading or watching television?"

"Television."

"History channel or MTV?"

"MTV."

Matt frowned. "I see. Are you now, or have you ever been a Somali pirate, involved in the trade of children, illegal weapons, and sex slaves?"

"No."

"Do you intend to carry my baby to full term, then abduct him and flee the country?"

"Do I look like I have the money to do that?"

"Some people can find ways to do anything. But I don't suggest trying anything like that. Mello would find you in a day, and I wouldn't hesitate to kill you."

"I thought Mello was the violent one?"

"Oh he's violent. But just try and take my son away from me. I'll cut a bitch."

"Noted."

"How familiar are you with computers?"

"I can use one. I have a laptop."

"What do you primarily use your computer for?"

"Facebook, online shopping, that sort of stuff."

"Do you consider yourself particularly skilled when it comes to operating a computer?"

"Average, I guess."

"Have you ever shot a firearm?"

"No."

"I'll have Mello teach you."

"Why do I need to learn how to shoot? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Look." Matt lowered his clip board and stared at Alice through the orange tint of his goggles. "You've agreed to have the baby of an LA mafia boss and his boyfriend. We have enemies, and you've just became involved with our affairs. If anyone gets wind of your vulnerability, they might try to hurt you just to get to us. You need to be able to defend yourself."

"Mello's the boss? As in _the_ boss?"

"He's the leader. The big shot. He controls everything. But that's not the point."

"How'd he get to be the boss so young? Did he kill the other guy?"

"Yes. And all of the men respect him. He can be pretty fucking scary if he needs to be. Plus, he's never wrong- about anything. People respond to that kind of intelligence."

"You both seem really smart."

"We're geniuses. Literally, our IQs can't be accurately measured with modern tests."

"Wow….so what do you do? If he's a mafia boss, what are you?"

"I hack. Play video games. Smoke a lot. That's about all."

"So you're the lazy one?"

"Yes. Your presence here is the only thing that prompted my putting clothes on this morning."

"I see. Stripes, huh?"

Matt nodded. "I think that's enough for now, Mello will be home in a few hours and I still need to finish the presentation for our family meeting tonight."

"Family meeting?"

"Sort of like a mission briefing. Clearing up some problematic areas of the agreement, establishing the way this is going to work, covering everything twice, etc."

Alice nodded in understanding and went back to her book. Matt picked up his laptop and started typing away.

A few hours later, Mello opened the door to the apartment. Alice was asleep on the couch, long hair falling in her face and over the couch arm. Matt was on his knees in the floor, tinkering with a huge flat screen TV that was hooked to one of his laptops. He'd dragged the television from their bedroom, an impressive feat given its size and the fact that Alice probably hadn't helped. Or maybe she had, and hurt herself to the point of unconsciousness? Mello smiled at that thought. Matt would probably carelessly let her stay that way for hours if that were the case.

"Heya Matty, what do you have going on here?"

"Ohai Mells." Matt said, standing up when the television screen displayed the same screensaver as his laptop- a dancing sriracha hot sauce bottle. Matt never was one for maturity. "I'm setting up the television for my presentation."

"Presentation?"

"We need visual aids to help with the Inaugural Meeting of the Jeevas Family Unit, in which we will discuss and debate several topics pertaining to our current project: the creation of another Jeevas."

"Jeevas Family Unit?"

"Yes. I was going to use Keehl, but Jeevas sounds better."

"I wonder why?" Mello said smiling. He leaned down to kiss Matt on the forehead. "Call it whatever you want. I'm still going to be the real dad."

Matt laughed. "It's that kind of false information that made this meeting necessary." He tossed a pillow at Alice's head. "Wake up!" He yelled.

Alice stirred sleepily then sat up on the couch, adjusting her clothes and brushing her hair out of her face. "What?" Her eyes landed on Mello. "Oh. So I guess it's time for the first annual Jeeves family reunion thing?"

Matt wasn't pleased. "It's the Inaugural Meeting of the Jeevas Family Unit. And yes, it's time."

Mello laughed and took a seat in a recliner, viewing the television from an angle at the side. Matt clicked his laptop to life and stood to the side of the television, near Mello.

"Okay." He cleared his throat. "The following meeting has been scheduled to debate and establish the regulations and protocol pertaining to our current agreement. Present are Mr. Mello Keehl, Ms. Alice Mcready, and myself, Mr. Matt Jeevas."

"As if we didn't already know that…" Alice muttered.

"Please do not speak unless you have the floor, Alice." Matt said, looking pointedly at her.

He continued with his suspiciously scripted-sounding speech. "In order to bring a new Jeevas into this world, since neither Mello nor myself possess the organs to successfully incubate a child for the ideal gestational period, we have entered into an understood, verbal agreement with Alice that she will surrogate our baby, heretofore referred to as 'Matt Junior.'" Mello rolled his eyes.

"Why can't it be called 'Mello Junior?' You know, since he'd be my son too?"

"Don't speak without being recognized, babe. Anyway, I have interviewed Alice and found her to be somewhat desirable for the position of surrogate, when the lack of other candidates is taken into consideration. I have also comprised a detailed plan of actions that will serve as the itinerary for this endeavor."

"Slow down!" Alice said. "I don't know what some of these words mean!"

Matt's lips thinned and he jogged to the bedroom he shared with Mello, emerging shortly after with a red cap in his hand.

"This," He said, waving the red hat emblazoned with a white 'M' on the front in the air, "is the Mario Cap of Authority. Anyone wearing this cap will have permission to speak UNINTERRUPTED. Anyone who speaks without wearing the Mario Cap of Authority will not be recognized, and any opinions, objections, or ideas will not be considered." He placed the cap on his head. "I am now wearing the Mario Cap of Authority."

Alice looked at Mello confusedly. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much. It's why I love him."

Matt had changed the slide on the screen to reveal a crudely drawn cup. It looked like something a preschooler would bring home to their parents after craft day.

"Since Mello and I can't agree on which of us will be the biological father of Matt Junior, I propose this solution: We will collect semen from both Mello and myself, and artificially inseminate Alice. Then we will let natural selection determine which of us will be the one to fertilize the egg. Are there any questions? Alice, you can have the Cap of Authority."

Alice grudgingly placed the hat on her head. "I think it's a good way to get around this particular issue. I mean, it's easier and more of a gamble than picking one dad and knowing automatically who the real father is."

Mello snatched the hat off of her head. "I like this idea too. Plus, she's blonde naturally. So even if you are the real dad, Matty, Mello Junior could still come out with blonde hair." He returned the Mario hat to Matt, who looked scandalized.

"You picked a blonde on purpose!" He accused. Mello just smiled. Matt pouted for a few seconds, but then clicked to another slide. This one showed two stick figures, one in goggles and another with boobs and a pony tail, with shopping bags in their hands.

"We will need to establish a fund for any baby related needs. Hospital visits, diapers, clothes, baby furniture, etc."

Mello raised his hand and Matt tossed the hat to him. "I'll give you however much you need. Spare no expense on hospitals. I'll even call a foreign doctor so no questions are asked that might compromise our identities." The hat was tossed to Matt again, who looked at Alice. She had nothing to say.

"Excellent. Thanks Mells, I can't wait to go shopping for our baby." Mello smiled. Alice looked away, feeling like the awkward third wheel in an otherwise happy bicycle.

The slide changed again. The stick person with a pony tail was standing between two buildings. "Now. Alice lives all the way across town. I'd be much more comfortable to have her closer, especially later in the pregnancy. The question I ask is: does Alice move to an apartment near us, or does she move in?"

Alice raised her hand. The hat was thrown to her. "I've been looking for a new place to live anyway, I don't mind moving. But, I won't have enough money to make a down payment on an apartment for a while…"

Mello held out his hand and Alice handed the Cap of Authority to him. "I'd rather you move in with us, so you'll be taken care of and safe. And I'm sure Matt would love the company, especially since he'd be able to watch you constantly to make sure you don't harm the baby in any way." Matt looked shocked and reached for the hat. Mello handed it to him.

"But babe…what about our I.S.T.?"

"What?" Mello asked. Alice looked intrigued.

"Our….impromptu….sexy times…" The last words were whispered, but Alice and Mello heard them just as well.

"Well, we'd definitely need to work something out. Perhaps on days she has doctor's appointments?"

"I make the motion that we get her an apartment in our building, on our floor." Matt announced. Alice nodded quickly.

"I like that idea." She said. Matt glared and pointed at the cap, which was on top of his head. She rolled her eyes. "I like that idea a lot."

"So it's settled then." Mello said. Matt took the hat off his head and tossed it on the table, its purpose being ignored. "I'll talk to the manager of the building, you'll move in as soon as possible."

Matt nodded. "That will be very convenient. Also, that was the last item on my agenda for tonight, so the presentation is over with."

"We needed a presentation for those three pictures?" Alice asked.

"Yes. I worked very hard on all of that, you should appreciate my devotion to our cause."

Mello smiled. "One last thing," he said, looking at Alice. "This is a verbal agreement. No documents have been signed, no terms agreed to, no lawyers or witnesses involved. This is in no way legally binding, and we could do nothing if you decided to leave suddenly, either before or after the birth." Mello's voice dropped low, his eyes taking on a dark gleam. "However, choosing to do so would result in you running for your life for the rest of that life, hoping to whatever god you follow that we didn't find you. And trust me, we would find you. Just keep that in mind."

Alice gulped and looked at Matt, who had removed his goggles to stare at her with the same intensity that Mello was. She wasn't sure who was scarier. Mello was speaking, but the raw emotion emanating from Matt was just as fearsome.

"I understand." She said quietly. "And you should understand that, as long as you uphold your end of this agreement and fly me to whatever country I want to live in, and give me however much money I decide this has been worth, I won't double cross you. I trust you, so you can trust me."

"We've trusted a lot of people in our lives, miss." Matt said. "Don't try to double cross us like some of them did. It doesn't end well." Mello nodded and looked to Matt. The two locked eyes for a moment, sharing an instance of understanding that Alice could only respect. These two had been through a lot, that was obvious.

"I promise. I'll do this and leave." Alice said. "You can have a family, you two definitely deserve it."

**Author's Note: Well, they've worked out a few details of the baby plan! And Alice is beginning to understand that Mello and Matt aren't just two guys that want a baby. What'd you think? Reviews=love! **

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	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hmm. I really didn't know where to go with this chapter, so I landed on fluff. There are so many options…I'm afraid this fic is going to be reaaaaaaaly long, because my mind is like FULL of ideas for chapters, and they're all good, so they'll probably all get posted. Eventually. Maybe. **

**However, I start college on the 15****th****, next week, so expect some short delays in updates, because I'm not sure how much free time I'm going to have to write on this. I won't abandon it, though, so don't give up. Also, we're in the double digits, review-wise! Thank you guys so much, I'm so happy that you all like my story. If any of you have an idea for a chapter, or a scene, or maybe some dialogue you'd like to see, write it in a review and I'll try to make it fit into future chapters. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but this idea, and I'm not even sure if it's original. So leave me alone.**

**On to chapter 5!**

After Matt's meeting, Alice left to take a shower. Night had fallen, and the streets below were illuminated by the subtle glow of the street lamps. Mello remained in the recliner while Matt rigged down the presentation materials. They'd move the television back to their bed room later. Mello was tired from work, and Matt wasn't about to move it himself for the second time. He elected instead to sit beside Mello in the large recliner, scooting down slightly to rest his head on Mello's chest and lay one arm across his stomach. Mello reclined the back of the chair and pulled Matt closer to him, gently nudging the other man's goggles from his eyes and laying them on the arm of the chair.

"So.." Matt mumbled against Mello's chest. "I guess this makes me the housewife."

Mello laughed softly. "Not unless you start baking and wearing an apron, love." Matt slid his hand up Mello's shirt and curled his fingers in the smattering of thin, blond hairs. "You'll always be as tough as me. I just don't want you around the shit I have to deal with every day."

"That reminds me." Matt said. "I haven't done anything productive in a while. Do you need any help at work? Any businesses you want to take down, politicians you want scandalized…"

Mello ran his fingers through Matt's red hair slowly. "I'll keep you in mind. I don't want you to get bored."

"I can do anything you need from right here at home, you know. I won't be in any danger, not that I couldn't take care of myself."

"I know you could. I'll see if I can find anything for you to do. Right now let's focus on having this baby." He leaned down and kissed Matt's hair, breathing in the scent of shampoo and Irish Spring body wash. They said nothing for a while, both enjoying the comfort of being in each other's arms. Mello was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, exhausted from a stressful day of bossing other people around, when a memory flashed in his mind.

**(flashback)**

_5 years ago. Mello stormed into the room he shared with Matt. Roger had stepped over the line this time, suggesting he work with Near. The very idea was insulting to him. He didn't have to take this shit. He was leaving. The door to their room crashed open and Matt looked up from his DS, confused._

_"Hey Mells…angry again I see." Matt knew not to interfere when Mello was upset. Normal protocol in this situation was to stay quiet and let the blonde fume for a couple of hours, let him scream and curse and break things until he calmed down. Mello was famous for his tantrums, but only Matt knew that they were only an outlet for all the pent up stress of staying ahead of everyone here. That was the only goal at Wammy's, the only reason for existing: to be better than everyone else. Mello took that to the extreme, studying hard and working his ass off to stay second, meanwhile all the other students ranked where they did naturally. Near would always be first, because that's how it was; same reason Matt would always be third. Mello was the only one that worked to change the ranking. _

_"Shut the fuck up, Matt!" Mello snapped. His face was red and his blue eyes were alight with rage. Matt returned his gaze to his handheld. Let him rage, then it'll be over. Except this time it was different. "Don't fucking ignore me!" Mello said, and slapped the DS from Matt's hands. Matt stood up, getting angry. _

_"What the hell, Mello?" Mello glared at him, baring his teeth._

_"I'm leaving. I'm tired of this shit, tired of everything."_

_"Shut up, Mello. You aren't leaving. Nobody leaves until they're 18, no exceptions." Matt bent over to pick up his DS. Mello grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him to the bed._

_"I'm tired of all of it! They can't stop me, I'll sneak out. I'm done with Roger, I'm done with Near, I'm done with this orphanage. I'll be the next L without their interference."_

_Matt was angry now. Mello never touched him, and he definitely never hit him. If he wanted to be rough, damnit Matt could be just as rough as he was. "Shut the fuck up. You aren't done with this place, otherwise you wouldn't still want to be L's successor. You aren't going anywhere, so stop it."_

_"You think you know what I'm thinking? You don't know shit about me Matt. You know what? I'm tired of dealing with you too. You're lazy, useless and fucking annoying. I'm done."_

_"Come over here and say that shit again. I dare you."_

_Mello clenched his fists and stomped over to Matt, who stood up and met him in the middle of the room. They stood there, inches from each other, each waiting for the other to move. Both were breathing hard, faces red with rage and eyes glaring daggers at the other. Matt had removed his goggles to stare into Mello's electric blue eyes. Mello's gaze was returned by Matt's own. He'd never noticed how vibrant Matt's eyes were. Really, this was the only time Matt had ever been pushed to the point of facing off against him. _

_"Are you going to just stare at me with that dumbass look on your face?" Matt asked through gritted teeth. "Fucking hit me like a man."_

_Mello snarled and lifted his arm. Matt lifted his own, but when he released his swing, Mello's face had moved out of his intended trajectory and he missed. He braced himself for the inevitable impact of Mello's punch, but instead his lips were met with a soft, fleeting touch from Mello's own. _

_Mello pulled away just as quickly as he'd made contact, retreating several steps away, and both boys stood there silent again, rage rapidly being replaced by confusion. What had he just done? Mello thought. In that moment of action, as they both prepared to harm the other, Mello acted on instinct. He'd fully intended to punch Matt's nose, probably break it. But something had changed, and now their entire world was flipped. _

_Matt was the first to break the silence. "What…the fuck?." He stuttered, putting his fingers up to his bottom lip. _

_"I don't know." Mello said. He felt strange. He knew kissing Matt was wrong, definitely the wrong thing to do in their previous situation. But he didn't regret it for some reason. All of his anger, all of the stress that had built up in him over the past hour had vanished with one innocent, spontaneous action. "Let's…whatever. I need to pack."_

_Matt looked hurt. His face was contorted with a pain like Mello had never seen, and that sight would haunt him for the rest of his life. Matt slowly, carefully, took steps toward Mello. He stood before him, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, green eyes that were shimmering with more conflicting emotion that Mello had ever seen the melancholic gamer convey. Then they closed, and Matt leaned up to Mello and placed a soft kiss on Mello's lips. Mello's own eyes closed then, unsure of how to react and letting instinct take over again. _

_Matt had intended for the kiss to be short, simply a trial to understand what had happened before. But as soon as his lips met Mello's for the second time, and he felt Mello lean his head down and add pressure against his mouth, he forgot everything and just pressed back. Gone was the conflict, the anger, the confusion. He felt Mello's tongue drag across his bottom lip and instinctively parted his mouth slightly, allowing the other boy access to explore. Matt's hands moved up Mello's arms and he tangled his hands in his long hair, pulling his head even closer as Mello moved his tongue over Matt's, the foreignness of this action bringing unexpected reactions from both of them._

_Mello slid his hands around Matt's hips and rested them on his lower back, pressing Matt's body against his own as their mouths continued to move against each other. They stood there, Mello against the wall, Matt against him, thinking nothing, only feeling what felt right, until Matt released an almost inaudible moan against Mello's lips. Reality snapped back into both of them then, and Mello pulled away. Both were gasping for breath, their arms still wrapped around each other. _

_Mello looked at Matt, who sighed. "Stay." He said simply, but the pain and desperation in his voice told Mello that no matter what, no matter how angry or confused this place made him, he could never leave Matt. Not even when they eventually left Wammy's. Mello would stay with Matt for the rest of their lives, whether Matt wanted him there or not. _

_"….yes." _

**(End flashback)**

Back in the present, Mello was only slightly aware of Alice leaving their apartment to return to her own across town. Matt was lazily caressing circles on his chest, and Mello was about to fall asleep when he heard Matt mumble something.

"What's that?" Mello asked, raising his head from the back of the recliner.

"I asked if you thought we were doing the right thing."

Mello thought for a moment. "I think it's time we were happy. If this baby makes us happy, I think it's the best thing we could ever do."

Matt smiled and pulled his hand from Mello's shirt, instead tangling it in the rosary that hung from Mello's neck. "I'm glad we're doing this. I've never felt more happy, or more in love with you."

"You wanna know what I was just thinking about?" Mello asked. Matt looked up at him and planted a quick kiss his lips.

"Of course."

"I was remembering that day back in England. Remember, when I was going to leave?"

Matt smiled and kissed him again. "How could I forget? We were both so angry and I was about to beat the shit out of you…"

Mello laughed, sliding his hand over Matt's spine through his shirt. "Right. You were totally the stronger of both of us back then."

"Still am, for your information." Matt said. He kissed the corner of Mello's mouth, then trailed tiny kisses over his jaw and behind his ear. "Let's go to bed?" he asked, then nibbled gently on Mello's ear.

Mello nodded and Matt stood, walking to their shared bedroom as Mello turned off all of the lights and locked their door.

**Author's note: There ya go. Did this chapter make any of you guys feel like cuddling? It made me want to snuggle with someone. I was listening to Wild Horses by the Flying Burrito Brothers while writing the last few parts, so if you want to see my inspiration, check out that song. It's amazing. But now I'm feeling depressed because I have no one to cuddle. Meh. Forever alone…. Sadness. Let me know what you thought in a review! 3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: A dramatic decrease in the amount of reviews for last chapter…sadness…but I can't keep begging you guys to love me. (Or can I?) Either way, I was pleased with the way the last chapter ended. I'm a sucker for fluff. In this chapter, Mello organizes some more Mafia crime stuff, Matt bothers Alice, and they finally go about fertilizing the baby…. **

Mello showed up to work in a noticeably good mood. This was a rare thing, because Mello hated having to deal with the problems his idiot underlings seemed to dig up as soon as he walked through the door. He parked his motorcycle in the lot outside, and entered the building casually, like any corporate CEO would enter his workplace. As soon as he stepped through the door, there was a violent scramble as his men hurried to look busy. He rolled his eyes and ignored them, choosing not to throw a fit about their lack of effort. These men may be incompetent, but they were all vital to his operations. Every king needed soldiers, after all.

Upon entering his luxurious office and reorganizing his desk, he waved through the tall glass office walls for Marcus to come and fill him in on the day's business. Marcus was the newest addition to the family, and had to pay his dues as Mello's bitch before he would be respected, much like a temporary secretary. Marcus shuffled his enormous bulk through the small door, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Marcus," Mello said quietly.

"Sir." Marcus nodded, handing Mello the coffee. Mello accepted it and placed the cup on his desk.

"Would you please recount today's itinerary?"

Marcus cleared his throat. "At eleven you have a meeting with Tyrone Jameson. I think he's supposed to tell us if he'll sell the club to us." Mello nodded. Marcus continued. "You also have a message from Trina Cartier from Sacramento, she says that they'll be transferring funds from a dummy account your friend set up to the collective account."

"Make a note to Roger, tell him to monitor the transfer and make sure that all of the money is accounted for." Mello said. Marcus wrote a note on a piece of paper he was holding. "And tell him if that it's all there, to generously reimburse Mrs. Cartier for her labor." Marcus made another note.

"You have a meeting with a Doctor Tavolovsky at three." Marcus said. "He said to tell you that he's only staying in America for as long as necessary, then he's leaving. So don't waste his time."

Mello cocked an eyebrow at that, and Marcus stuttered, "H-his words, not mine…"

Mello nodded and sipped his coffee, being careful not to spill it on his black leather shirt. "A rather full day, I see."

Marcus looked out the door, yearning for escape from Mello's unpredictable attitude. "That's all of it, though."

"You may leave then." Mello said. "But don't forget to give Roger those orders."

Marcus turned to leave, but stopped a few feet short of the door. "One last thing, I forgot."

"Yes?" Mello asked, turning the pages of an office furniture catalog.

"Some guy came in this morning, really early. He wanted to know when you'd be in."

Mello's head snapped up to face him, anger and suspicion in his eyes. "What did you tell him."

"I-I said that you showed up whenever you wanted, and that he'd need to leave before I called the guards. He said 'I understand' and asked me to give you this."

Marcus fished in his pocket, pulling out a crumpled white envelope, a black 'W' in calligraphy its only mark. Mello took the letter from him and placed it in his desk, his curiosity threatening to overcome him.

"Leave." He told Marcus, who hurried out the door. Mello sat down in his huge chair and opened his desk, taking the envelope out and staring at it, unopened. Why, after all these years, was Wammy's House trying to make contact with him? Was it something important? Did L need help with a case? No, they would have contacted Near if that was the case. The last thing Mello heard of Near was that he was solving a murder case in Australia, working independently of L. They didn't exactly keep in touch.

The contents of the letter went unknown, however, because a fat, greasy man was charging through his lobby, fighting his way past several of Mello's confused men before two muscled powerhouses stopped him from advancing any farther. Tryone Jameson was early for his meeting. He was trying to force past the men, but the very idea was pointless. The fat man had no chance of getting past them, but he struggled until Mello calmly stepped out of his office and into the room.

"Mister Jameson," he said, "I trust you have a very good reason for arriving unannounced and uninvited to my workplace?"

The two men moved aside, allowing Tyrone to see Mello's displeasure clearly.

"You bet your ass I do." He said, smoothing his corduroy jacket with his palms. "I talked to my guy in the Diamonds. He said you were right about the money."

"Of course I was."

"If that's true, then I want this deal now. 50/50, take it or leave it."

"I seem to recall my offer being 70/30 for five years." Mello said. "I'm not one to go back on my word. Take this deal, or get out of my building."

Tyrone Jameson hesitated for a moment, looking frantically around the room. He was alone, at the greatest disadvantage, and had no choice but to take the offer or be bullied into it.

"I want it in writing. Thirty percent exactly, directly to my wallet every month, for the next five years."

"Naturally." Mello said. He motioned for one of his men to approach. "Pierce, take Mr. Jameson into a private room and draw up the paper work. Put your name on the documents."

Pierce nodded silently. He was now the manager of the nightclub. Mello had promoted him in front of the whole family, given him a bonus. That was why Mello's men obeyed him, aside from the fear of not doing so. He knew how to run a crime syndicate while still taking care of those who were under him. Marcus eyed Pierce enviously as he escorted Tyrone Jameson to a room in the back.

Everything was calm then, business returning as usual. Mello went back to his office, tearing the plain envelope open as soon as he was alone.

_Mello:_

_I hope you know how much effort it took to locate you. Finding out your current means of employment shocked both L and myself, though we quickly accepted this as a natural path for you to follow given your talent for destruction and seizing power. _

_I understand you're probably busy, so I'll simply state the reason for this message. L wishes to reunite the Wammy's House alumni, in hopes of forming an international detective force. Keep in mind that these are L's motives and not my own. A message has been sent to Matt as well, I'm not sure if the two of you have stayed in contact with each other since graduation. _

_On a personal note, we spent most of our lives refusing to work together. Perhaps doing so now would benefit others, if not ourselves? _

_If you wish to participate in the formation of the force, please meet with us at Wammy's on December 30__th__ of this year. _

_ Near._

December 30th? That was almost a whole year away. It was only February. It was good to give advance notice, but this was a little ridiculous. Nevertheless, he knew he would attend. Things had changed since Wammy's. Mello didn't care about beating Near anymore, or about succeeding L. He just wanted to have a life, a life with Matt and their soon to exist baby. He checked his watch. Dr. Tovolovsky would be here in a few hours, and with nothing to do for a while, Mello left to check on how Pierce was doing with the nightclub owner. He knew something was awry as soon as he left the soundproof comfort of his office. All of his men were huddled around the entrance to the office Pierce and Jameson were in. Jameson was saying something in a low voice. Pierce sat in a black office chair, casually leaning back as Jameson glared at him.

Mello cleared his throat quietly, loud enough for only the spectators of the incident to hear, and they parted through the middle so he could see what was happening.

"What's the cause for all this commotion, Pierce?" He asked. Tyrone Jameson's head snapped to meet him.

Pierce said nothing. Jameson instead offered an explanation. "This is the way it's going to be. I don't need no punk ass kid like you telling me how much of my own money I can have."

"He's trying to intimidate me into giving him a better deal behind your back, boss." Pierce said.

"I see." Mello said in monotone. "Mr. Jameson, I have given you every chance to accept a very generous offer. That offer is no longer available. Please exit my building immediately."

"Like hell I will." Jameson said. "I want this deal, and I want my money. Now let's renegotiate."

"I don't think that's going to happen." Mello said. Pierce stood then, and another man moved in to escort Jameson out of the room.

"Don't fucking touch me!" He yelled, pulling a pistol from his pocket. "Lay a finger on me, and you're dead." He pointed the gun at Mello. "Get your ass over here and rewrite this contract. I want every dime I deserve for my place."

Mello's men continued approaching him. Jameson waved his gun around dramatically. The men behind Mello took a few steps back, but none retreated for cover.

Jameson moved back from Mello's men and pointed his pistol directly at Mello. Before he could say the words he'd opened his mouth to form, Mello's gun was in his hand and aimed at Jameson's head. Tyrone took a single step to steady himself. Mello's gun fired.

No body moved for almost a minute. Tyrone Jameson's body lay lifeless on the carpet of the office, his pistol a few feet from his fingers.

"How tragic." Mello said, turning to leave. "Pierce, finish the paper work. Transfer 30% of the profits to his account until the contract is up. Then he can disappear completely." He put his gun back in his belt. "You two." He pointed to two younger men. "Call someone to have this cleaned up."

Hours later, in a less violent environment, a large man with a thick Russian accent was checking Alice's vital signs. Mello and Matt sat to the side in chairs, Matt playing his DS and smoking directly under the TOBACCO FREE PREMISES sign. Mello watched the examination carefully, translating Alice's questions when necessary. Matt looked up whenever Mello spoke Russian. They were both fluent in several languages, but hearing Mello speaking his native tongue was an experience all its own.

"When was last menstrual cycle?" The man said as he pressed firmly on Alice's abdomen.

"Two weeks ago."

"Have ever been examined for fertility?" Everything he asked sounded like a statement.

"No, but I've had a few pregnancy scares, so I think I'm fine."

Dr. Tovolovsky looked at Mello questioningly. Mello explained Alice's meaning in Russian. Matt was smiling.

"I see." The doctor muttered. Alice shivered under his hard gaze. He didn't seem pleased to be here. "I am to be performing fertilization of egg shortly. You prepare self for operation."

"So, she's ovulating, then?" Matt asked.

"We have had lengthy talk about history of menstruation. I have calculated her schedule of ovulation. We can be trying for baby tomorrow."

Matt beamed. Mello cracked a smile. Alice shivered again, pulling her clothes back into place behind the curtain.

"Tomorrow bring sample of semen and we will make baby." Tovolovsky said. He made some notes on a pad and gave them both a sterile lab specimen cup. "Girl will be implanted with three fertilized eggs on first try. If none take, we try again."

"Wait." Mello said. "What if all three take?"

"Then triplets." The doctor said. He started packing up his stethoscope and other medical devices.

"Holy shit." Matt said. Mello nodded to him.

"I could end up with triplets?!" Alice said, jerking the curtain open and glaring at Mello.

"We could end up with triplets." Mello mumbled.

The doctor stood to exit. "I leave now. I will see you all tomorrow, do not forget samples."

Mello, Matt and Alice followed him out the door, turning down the alley to the car waiting for them.

In the car, they all thought silently to themselves about the exam. Tomorrow, Alice could be pregnant. Matt and Mello could be parents. An air of anxiety and over all awkwardness settled over the three of them, which lasted for most of the trip. Matt finally had enough and broke the silence.

"Alice, we need sperm samples to freeze. You aren't staying the night tonight."

Mello smiled and Alice looked uncomfortable. "Don't worry, I don't want to be near any of you guys' sample taking."

"Then it's a race for the finish egg. My sperm versus yours, Mells." Matt said. "Who will be the father?"

"I will. I'm smarter, thereby of a superior genetic makeup. My genes are dominant."

"Yeah, well, you may be smarter Mells, but my sperm cells are the Usain Bolts of reproductive cells."

All three laughed at that and Matt, satisfied that the uncomfortable moment had passed, returned to playing his DS.

The next morning, all three awoke with angst in their hearts. Today was the day. Mello was sore and exhausted from 'sample collection' last night, and he suspected Matt was as well from the way the redhead hunched when he walked. Alice was dressed simply, wearing grey sweat pants and a UCLA t shirt. They waited for the operating room to be prepared in silence once again. Matt leaned his head on Mello's shoulder, DS still glued to his hands. Alice read a book.

Dr. Tovolovsky entered then, wearing black scrubs under a white lab coat.

"Quick explanation for procedure to answer any questions." He said. Matt and Alice put their things down and paid attention. "In half hour we will anesthetize girl and harvest ten eggs. Then we take small amount of sample from both cups and, because of unusual request, dump samples on three of eggs. Remaining seven will be frozen with sperm samples. Girl will rest for few hours. Come back after dinner. Fertilized eggs will be planted in girl. Come back in three weeks to see if pregnant. It is agreed?"

Mello nodded. "Girl will now to come with me now?"

Alice stood slowly, following the doctor to the operating room with a single glance to Mello and Matt. Mello smiled and mouthed "thank you." Matt gave her a thumbs up sign and said "Good luck!"

They waited in that room for hours. Matt's batteries died and he switched to his PSP, which died too eventually. Mello went out to get food. The doctor came out after a while to inform them that the eggs had been successfully harvested and the remaining cells frozen. At 7 pm, Tavololvsky returned to say that the eggs had been fertilized and implanted, and that Alice would need to be monitored all night for any complications. They could go home and return tomorrow morning to pick her up.

Thoroughly exhausted from a day of sitting on a couch and waiting anxiously, Mello and Matt climbed into the vehicle and returned home, nervous about what would be awaiting them the next morning.

**Author's note: Tada! Another chapter. Also, I know that things got a little dramatic and gory there in the middle….but it is the mafia, I don't think they sit around forgiving people who try to con them and watch My Little Pony (although that would be awesome, bronies FTW) Haha reviews make for quicker updates, just sayin'. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Heh heh heh…..Chapter 7. I'm loving this. Special thanks to ****America's Suiteheart**** for pointing out the error in the title- you're awesome. Also, to ****VampirePrinssess- ****The Diamonds are there for a reason….I'm just not sure what that reason is yet. Haha. To all the rest of you, I appreciate your continued reading. A few more people started following, so exciting! **

**Last chapter, they tried fertilization. Did it work? Are Mello and Matt gonna be daddies? Unfortunately that takes a while in reality to figure out, so this chapter includes a minor time skip. I really couldn't come up with weeks' worth of content, and that'd like six chapters to cover anyway, so I'm just abridging it a bit. This chapter will be a little shorter, given that i'm exhausted and just posted last night. Special shout-out to my friend Jessa, who helped me name Dr. Ivano Tovolovsky. Because really, when you need Russian names, you go REALLY Russian. **

**Disclaimer: Do I really need this? Really?**

**What now? **

**AAAAW YISS. MOTHA FLUFFING CHAPTER SEVEN. **

The next morning, Matt sprang out of bed several hours earlier than he would on a normal day. Mello was shaken awake by a showered and fully dressed Matt, who was looming over him like a bug-eyed, red and white zebra. The scent of pop tarts filled the apartment.

"'Mornin Mells!" Matt chirped. "Didya sleep good?"

Mello stretched and rolled over in the bed, yawning loudly. "For the most part. Did you?"

"Yup. Now get dressed, it's time to leave."

Mello glanced at the clock. "We don't have to be there for another hour, love. Calm down."

Matt looked at the clock, then back at Mello. "Well…yeah..but I'm so excited! We gotta go pick her up, let's go!"

Mello stretched again and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "You're burning your pop tarts."

"Oh shit!" Matt exclaimed, running from the room. Mello smiled and glanced at the clock again, then closed his eyes and lay back down.

An hour later they were in the waiting room of the clinic. Alice was wheeled out in a wheel chair, looking slightly wilted but otherwise normal, followed by Dr. Tovolovsky. He and Mello exchanged a few words in Russian before the doctor explained that the procedure had gone successfully, and that three fertilized eggs were now hopefully taking root in Alice's womb. Matt was on the verge of tears by then, Alice still looking slightly uncomfortable. This was definitely an odd thing to do for money, but it was much better than what she was doing when Mello found her.

"I stay in America for one month more, then back to Russia." Dr. Tovolovsky said. "If not pregnant by then, I suggest other doctor. Friend of mine, better at this than me."

Alice looked at Mello. "There was someone better than him and you didn't get him?" Matt was equally irritated. Only the best was acceptable for Matt junior.

Mello shrugged. "I didn't know that. But he did fine so far, nothing to worry about."

"If pregnancy is confirmed I will leave country. Then other hospitals take care of prenatal caring."

Matt nodded and moved to wheel Alice out of the building. Mello stayed behind to thank and pay the doctor. Ten minutes later, they were in Mello's SUV, being driven to the apartment.

"Okay." Matt said. The three of them still weren't comfortable around each other enough to talk. Alice always felt like the third wheel, and Mello thought it would be rude for him and Matt to ignore her existence and have a conversation she probably couldn't relate to. "First things first, we need to get you moved into our building."

Alice was pale from the procedure, but still lucid. "I don't have enough money for a week's worth of rent in your building…"

Mello and Matt both looked at her. "You won't be paying for it, I thought we discussed that."

"Oh…" Alice said, looking down. "I wasn't sure. I'm still not used to being doted on like this. I mean, escorts, chauffeurs, a body guard…"

"You got her a body guard?" Matt asked. Mello nodded.

"Assigned her one on the first day of the agreement."

"Some big black guy that sits in a car outside my apartment all night. He follows me around all day too. It's kind of weird."

Matt laughed. "It's for your safety. If it were up to me, you'd have five."

Alice looked at Mello.

"He's serious." Mello said. The car pulled into the lot of the apartment building, and Matt helped Alice out of the car.

Three days later, Alice was moved in to her new apartment in their building. Three weeks later, Mello was at his desk at work. Marcus' voice came over the speaker on his phone.

"You got a call, boss." He said. "It's your friend Matt. Line three."

Mello picked up the phone. "Yeah Matty?"

"Uh, hey Mello." Matt said. "Alice came over this morning, and she's really sick."

Mello thought for a second. "Like morning sickness?"

"Well I thought so too, but it's four p.m., and she's still throwing up."

"In our apartment?"

"No, we're in hers. We were supposed to go shopping today."

"I see. I'll call Dr. Tovolovsky, drive her over there to get tested." Mello heard Alice vomiting in the background. "On second thought, I'm sending a car over. Be ready, and try to keep her from ruining my vehicle."

"Mmmkay Mells." Matt said. "I'm so excited, do you think it's happening?"

"I don't know. It's plausible. But Matt?"

"Yeah babe?"

"Just…don't get your hopes up. She might just be sick."

"Alright. Bye, I love you."

"Love you too Matty." Mello said. "I love you too."

Two hours later, Matt and Alice were sitting in the doctor's office.

"Girl is pregnant." Dr. Tovolovsky said. "Test shows higher amount of hormone in urine. Confirm pregnancy."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: ~Hello everybody! Hello everybo****_deh_****. Hello everybodaaaay! (woo, hoo, hoo!)~**

**Sorry 'bout that. Cartoon Planet theme's stuck in my head. Lol. Okay! As of today, I am officially a sophomore in University. Which means I just got SOOOOUPER busy. I'll try to update as often as possible, but expect 2-4 day delays between chapters. I'm sorry about this, because I really love writing this fic. But I'm paying for college, I should probably put some effort into it too. ^^ On another note, I got a PM from someone asking if I was going to write any lemon scenes for this story. I'm on the rail here, guys. On one hand, I love lemon. Seriously. But on the other, I don't think it's right for this kind of story. So, tell me in reviews: should I (eventually) work a dirty scene into the story, or just leave it as humor and occasional fluff? Let me know what you guys think. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. **

**Alright: last chapter, Mello and Matt became daddies. Hooray! So squeee! This chapter, Alice adjusts to pregnancy, Mello has more mafia business, and Matt takes on the role of overprotective father. **

Matt burst into tears as soon as the doctor finished speaking. He called Mello, trying hard to convey the news to him while crying. Mello was there in fifteen minutes, a record considering the clinic was almost 30 miles from Mello's office. He'd opted to ride his motorcycle instead of a driver.

Mello crashed into the room, panting from running down the halls. The doctor was in the waiting room, talking to a still teary Matt. When Matt saw Mello he rushed over and clung to Mello's shoulder, hugging him in a very uncomfortable manner and crying loudly.

"Oh my god, Mells…!" He sobbed into Mello's neck. "We're pregnant…a baby…fuck man, I love you so much…" His words were interrupted by gasps for air as he cried. Mello hugged him back as much as he could, but Matt was wrapped around his side so things were awkward. The joy that was in Mello's heart at that moment threatened to buckle his knees. He wasn't crying in joy like Matt was; he'd worked hard on controlling his emotions since Wammy's. But here, in this white clinic, the sheer magnitude of emotion that washed over the both of them was indescribable.

Dr. Tovolovsky left the room.

Before, Mello would lay beside Matt and question the wisdom of this decision. They weren't ideal parents, that was for sure. He sometimes wondered if they would end up making a huge mistake, and if the dangers of Mello's job would ever find their way home. Now he didn't care. Let people come, he'd kill them all. Having a baby with Matt, becoming parents….even if it was in the most invasive and unorthodox method possible, was the greatest choice he'd ever made. The greatest choice _they'd_ ever made.

Matt was still clinging to him, but the tears had stopped for the most part. Mello still stood there, sorting out the wave of happiness, fear, determination and love that he had been drowning in moments ago. It was so crystal clear now, this was really happening. He loved Matt, he loved their unborn, hours old baby, and in a way he even loved Alice. The world was perfect.

Dr. Tovolovsky returned then, Alice trailing behind him. She looked pale, no doubt from all of the vomiting that she'd been doing. Matt ran to her and hugged her tightly, scooped her up and carefully carried her to Mello, where he wrapped them both in another hug. Mello smiled at Alice, who was still a little uncomfortable with their current situation. Matt was smiling gleefully, completely ignorant of how awkward the other two felt. Alice finally pushed him away and said, "Back off now, you'll smother the baby."

Matt flew back from her, then dropped to his knees and pressed his ear to Alice's still flat stomach. "I'm sorry little man!" he said, putting his hands on either side of Alice's hips. "Do you feel alright? There's just one of you in there, right?"

Alice looked frantically at Mello, who was trying not to laugh out loud. "You'd probably better get used to that."

Matt didn't notice them, again. "Who's my wittle baby Matt? You are! Yes you are, you're my wittle baby Matt!"

"Uh, Matt?" Alice said, looking down. He didn't even acknowledge that she'd spoken.

"Oooh, I bet it's dark in there! Are you afwaid of the dark wittle guy?"

"Matt." Mello said.

"Don't worry." Matt kept talking to Alice's stomach. "Your daddy Mello was afwaid when we were wittle too." Alice smirked at Mello, who glared back. "You don't hafta be afwaid baby. I'll keep you safe. I'm your daddy Matt! And right now you're inside a lady named Alice. She's technically your mommy. But you'll have two daddies, isn't that cool?"

Alice gave up trying to get his attention and just turned to walk away. Mello walked beside her, and Matt fell to the floor, the object supporting his weight, Alice's stomach, suddenly gone.

Two days later, everything had returned to normal. Alice was still sick, Matt was still protesting having to unpack her stuff and help her move into the apartment.

"I don't see why you don't just leave it in the boxes. That makes it all organized and you can just put each box in its corresponding room."

"Are you serious?"

And so the day went, Matt stopping every few minutes to talk to the baby through Alice's stomach in that ridiculous voice he used, Alice trying to work past the distractions and the sickness. Finally, they were finished, and Matt returned to his and Mello's apartment after giving Alice explicit orders that the second she thought anything was wrong, she call him.

Mello was at work. He studied the finance reports for a recent drop his organization had made. 10,000kg of cocaine, exported to a Mexican warehouse for storage and distribution. The money from this sale would make his Mafia regime the richest crime syndicate in California. They already were, but this deal would make sure no one ever threatened that status.

Marcus came over the speaker on his phone. "Hey boss, there's someone who wants to see you."

"Who is it, Marcus?"

"He says he's the king of the Backstreet Royalty…." Mello could hear the other man speaking in the background.

"Tell him I is the baddest of the bad, the richest of the rich!" Mello rolled his eyes. Diamonds were in his building. "Tell him I be the King of the Diamonds, the most feared man on the west coast! The freak off the street! Commander of the Royal Ghetto Army! MOTHA FUCKIN' RICHIE 'LIL' RUNT' CORSANTOS!"

"Boss…"Marcus was obviously irritated. Mello was rapidly losing his temper as well. He had guards at every entrance, why the hell were so many unwelcome people getting all the way to the front desk?

"Ask him what he wants."

Marcus asked. The King of the Diamonds snatched the phone from his hands and spoke into it.

"This Mello? Of the Zat…ten..nee….Impeeri?"

"This is he." Mello said. "What business do you have with the Zatenennyye Imperii and myself?"

"Yeah, however the fuck you say that. So listen bitch." Mello ignored that and let the man speak. "A week ago my crew offered dis club owner some bills for his shop, yo. He be sayin' that we cool, we cool, he gon' sell to us. But now I got some knights comin' to me, be sayin that Tryone sold his shop to yo' sorry ass. I hope they be lying, because if I find out you stole my deal from me I'ma be angry. You hearin this dog? You don't want to be the guy that pissed of the Diamonds."

"Allow me to make myself perfectly clear." Mello said, patience lost. "Mr. Jameson and I have arrived at a business agreement concerning ownership of his building. This agreement is permanent. Also, I wouldn't advise you looking for Mr. Jameson to try and force your way between our deal, but if you want to find him, I'm sure I can point you in the right direction."

"Yo man, do you know who you be speakin' to? I am the King of the Backstreet Royalty! My kingdom is huge, my word is law! I am the King of the Diamonds!"

"Your kingdom?" Mello chuckled. "I'll play your game, then. Do you honestly think your miniscule 'Kingdom' could withstand an attack from my _empire?_ I lead the Russian Shadowed Empire, the Zatenennyye Imperii. My words could bring your kingdom to ruin. Now get out of my building, the only Diamonds that belong in here are the ones on my Rolex."

Mello returned the phone to its cradle, working to calm himself down. He hadn't wanted any drama. Matt kept him up almost every night now with talk of the baby, and his temper was growing even shorter during the day. This incident would probably evoke more trouble with the Diamonds, and Mello was in no mood to play petty street politics.

When he returned home that night, he was greeted by Matt staring conflicted at Alice, who was laying on their couch with one of his laptops on her stomach.

"Mells!" Matt shouted. "Please tell her to get that off our baby! She's cooking him with radiation!"

"Matt." Alice said. "What did I tell you about all this safety crap?"

"It's annoying and that if I didn't want trouble I'd stop bothering you….."

"Exactly. Asking Mello to chastise me is the same as doing it yourself."

"Has he been particularly unbearable today?" Mello asked, walking to the bedroom to change, removing his shirt as he walked. Matt noticed and jumped up to follow him, leaving Alice in peace.

"It's been awful." Alice said. "I can't open doors, I'm not allowed to cook, bend over, or take a bath."

"Bathing in hot water could cook our baby!" Matt protested. Mello silenced him with a quick kiss hello.

"According to him, everything could do something to hurt the baby. I can't breathe."

Mello laughed. "I'm sorry. But you'll get used to it. I think." He returned to the living room, taking a seat on the recliner across from Alice. "What are you looking at?" Matt brought him a cup of coffee and a chocolate bar.

"Travel sites. I'm trying to decide where I want to live."

"Pick anywhere. Wherever you want, however much money you want. We'll give you anything."

Alice laughed. "That's the problem. I don't know what I want, or where I want to go."

Mello nodded.

"We're going baby shopping tomorrow." Matt announced. "And also, I need to make a stop at the video game store."

"How much money do you need?" Mello asked as Matt lit up a cigarette.

"'Dunno, probably about a thousand or so."

"Remind me in the morning. I'll make sure your driver has everything you'll need."

"Also," Alice said, "I've scheduled an appointment for next week at the hospital. Pre-natal stuff, vitamins, etc."

"I will go with you." Matt said.

"I've been thinking." Mello said, breaking off a piece of chocolate. "I think that you should pose as Alice's boyfriend. I don't want any hospital staff belittling her because she appears to be a single mother."

"You're really concerned about my reputation?" Alice laughed.

"I'm concerned about your feelings. Things will be more comfortable if you're treated with respect."

"I like the idea." Matt said. "It'll mean I can spend more time with the baby anyway."

Alice cringed, hiding behind the laptop. Mello laughed and watched Matt smoke as the sun set outside.

**Author's note: Tada! Another chapter!**

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed, and to everyone that read and didn't review. I love you!**

**Seriously guys and gals, if you don't want the story corrupted by lemon, or you REALLY want some hot Mello and Matt action, tell me. This is your decision, I'm 50/50. REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW! **


	9. Chapter 9

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**Dun dun ****_duuuuuhn._**** I have returned! It seems like it's been forever! It's only been a week. Ridiculous, how much I'm addicted to writing this. For cereals.**

** Last chapter, I asked you readers to review (and got the most reviews since chapter one!) and tell me if you thought this story needed some lemon flavor. The votes were almost close, with "YES, LEMON LEMON SEXY TIMES YES MOOOOAAR!" winning out in the end. That being said, I'm still not sure how it'd fit into the story. Just know that I am considering writing one (ONE!) chapter, devoted to the sour yellow fruit, but that chapter will be several regular chapters away and will have absolutely no impact on the story, so reading it will be completely optional. If you have anything else to say about this, let me know. **

**We gained a few more readers and followers, which is why I'm forsaking my chemistry homework to write this chapter. I couldn't wait any longer. Special thanks to everyone that reviewed, I just hope your love isn't going to interfere with my grade….. aw who cares? IT'S YAOI. **

**Regular disclaimer still applies, I didn't magically get the rights to the Death Note story.**

Alice was still sick that morning. Three days of constant nausea was exhausting, and for the first time since she'd met him, she was glad Matt was lazy. She'd half expected him to be too anxious to wait for shopping, beating down her door at seven a.m. It was almost noon now, and she suspected he was still asleep. The worst of her morning sickness was over for the day, and as long as she stayed away from food and strong smells, she would probably be fine. For a few hours, at least.

After a shower and another episode of vomiting, she got dressed and went to rouse Matt. He'd given her a key to his and Mello's apartment, the only stipulation on her entering at any time, day or night, being:

"If you hear music playing, specifically "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, do not come in. If it's an emergency, bang really loud on the door and we'll hear you."

She rolled her eyes at the memory. Matt was so concerned with his sex life being interrupted, she wondered if Mello ever actually slept. And which one of them was on top? Mello was obviously stronger, meaner, and more controlling, but Matt had a certain….emotion…about him that made her question if maybe he was really the dominant one. Maybe if she asked Matt…

Wait. What the hell was she thinking? She didn't need to know how those two had sex. It wasn't her business, and it probably wasn't very comfortable…. She'd seen Matt almost naked before, and Mello showed a lot of skin under his leather….those two bodies getting all mashed up…..

She ran to the bathroom again.

After that incident, Alice took a right down the hallway and arrived at Mello and Matt's door. She knocked loudly once and waited, getting only silence in return. He was still asleep. Wonderful. She unlocked the door and tried to make as much noise as possible upon entrance, just in case Matt needed a little warning that someone else was about to be in the room with him. She stomped across the floor, heading slowly and very loudly to the bedroom.

All her efforts had been pointless, because Matt was still in the bed, fast asleep, snoring gently. His goggles were on the table beside the bed, and the covers were so disturbed she figured he was a fitful sleeper. And also he was naked. She contemplated running out of the room or screaming at him to cover himself, but really…Matt was a very attractive guy, regardless of his sexual preferences. So, despite her common sense telling her to turn around, the hormone tidal wave overcame her and she stood there, motionless in the doorway, thoroughly inspecting every inch of Matt's backside.

He wasn't covered in freckles like she'd expected. Sure, he had a thick smearing of brownish orange spots on his shoulders and arms, but they blended naturally with his pale skin. And his skin was _pale._ Probably due to equal parts long sleeves, sun avoidance and the fact he was a redhead, his skin was such a beautiful shade of ghost white, he almost resembled a marble statue. That resemblance was reinforced by the toned appearance of his back and the long cords of muscle in his legs. There was no doubt that Matt was male, even if he was really girlish. Before now, she'd always seen Matt as kind of a child, more like an immature younger brother than an adult trying to start a family. Funny how seeing someone naked opens your eyes to deeper aspects of their personality. Seeing him like this, without the goggles and the baggy jeans, or the long-sleeved, striped shirts he always wore, exposed his humanity.

…..and even more of that humanity was exposed when he rolled over, giving Alice a surprise peek at his other parts before opening his eyes and reaching for his goggles. Alice gasped and turned around hurriedly, praying Matt hadn't caught her staring.

"….Alice?"

Shit. "Uh, yeah Matt?"

"Would you care to explain why you were staring at my naked, sleeping body?" Matt had pulled the quilts over his lower half and sat up to face her.

"I just came in here to wake you up, because we need to go shopping…"

Matt eyed her suspiciously. "Sure. Whatever." He stood up, grabbing a pair of boxers from his drawer with one hand and holding the cover in place with the other. "Let me get dressed."

"Sure, okay. I'll be in the kitchen…"

"And Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"I know I'm fucking irresistible." Matt said. "I'm gorgeous. Look at me. Never mind, you already have. But please don't rape me with your eyes again. It makes me uncomfortable."

Alice was blushing hard. "….just don't tell Mello."

"Mello wouldn't care, truthfully. You aren't exactly a threat to his status as my boyfriend."

With that, Alice left the room.

Shopping with Matt had to be the most stress-inducing activity imaginable. He constantly flittered around, swooping down one aisle to the next, until he found what he was looking for. Then, he would stand for half an hour, debating out loud which product would be safer for Matt Junior.

He was currently sitting on the floor in the middle of the aisle, reading the packaging on baby monitors. Eight different brands and models of monitors were arranged around him, and he'd pick one up, read the information on the back, then set it down again and pick up another, read the information on the back, set it down, and repeat the cycle. Alice was getting tired of standing around. They'd been shopping for an hour and a half now, and only had two items in their cart. They still had four things on their list, excluding whatever Matt had wanted to buy.

Finally, Matt got off the floor and placed a blue package into the cart, which he had refused to push, because Alice needed it to support herself in case she started to fall. Alice was still suspicious about that explanation. Matt turned to exit the aisle then, motioning for Alice to follow him.

"Aren't you going to pick these up?"

"I don't work here. Let the floor hands get it."

Alice rolled her eyes and pushed the cart after him. The next item on their list was a car seat. Trying to have some input on the selection, if for nothing more than some entertainment, she pointed to a black car seat with cartoonish ladybugs decorating the cover.

"What about this one?"

"No kid of mine is going to be seen in something so ridiculous."

"It's a car seat. It doesn't have to be designer, you know."

Matt turned around, placing the car seat in the cart. "Hey Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

She sighed. "What kind of style are you going for, anyway?"

"Safe. Light weight, extra secure, and attractive."

"That's pretty specific."

"I've put a lot of time into this." Matt read a price card on a seat that was slightly smaller than the others around it.

"Why'd you do it?" Alice asked.

"Why'd I do what?"

"This. Why did you decide to have a kid?"

"I don't know really." Matt said. He picked the car seat up and placed it in the cart. "Mello and I were starting to be different. We've always been inseparable, ever since I moved into the orphanage and became his roommate. But a while ago, it just…changed. I don't know how to describe it. It was like he was living one life, and I was living another, you know?"

Alice nodded. Matt led the cart down the aisle, walking slowly with one hand in his pocket. "He'd come home from work, all stressed out, trying to live with what he does. He kills people, Alice. He's killed a lot of people with his own hands, and even more through orders he's given." He sighed. "The thing you have to know about Mello is that he's very emotional. The calm, mature face he shows everyone, the air of danger and power that he exudes….it's not always been like that. When we were younger, the slightest things could set him off. Depression, anger, pretty much any negative emotion. And he'd be affected by it for days. It was hard, growing up where we did. There was a lot of pressure to be things we didn't necessarily want to be, and Mello took it personally every time he couldn't live up to those standards. But now, he's the one in charge. He gives the orders, doesn't have to live for anyone but himself, and he's had a hard time adjusting. You can't be a mafia boss and throw tantrums every few days. You can't run a crime syndicate when you drink yourself into depression. He has trouble facing the things he has to do, and he can't even vent his emotions like he used to."

He steered the cart down another aisle, this one lined with baby clothes and diapers. "But by keeping those feelings bottled up, he became distant. He was living two lives, and he stopped being able to distinguish between the two. I couldn't handle it. I needed our relationship back, I needed him back. I knew he wouldn't quit his job, not that he could. You're in that for life, I'm pretty sure. So I did this. And now, it's like he has something to live for again, you know? No matter what he does at work, no matter how many drugs he sells, or people he hurts, when he comes home, I'll be there, with our child, and he'll have a way to escape all of the shit he has to do. That's why."

Alice was silent. Matt definitely cared for Mello as much as Mello cared for him. They shopped some more, both staying quiet and only talking when opinions on products were needed. The SUV was loaded by the time they were finished, and enough time had passed for them to shake off the odd feeling their last conversation had left hovering over them. After another two hours spent at the video game store, they were on their way home. Alice got sick again, so Matt helped her up the stairs to the building and into the elevator, leaving the driver and Alice's bodyguard to bring in their mountains of shopping bags.

Mello was at work still. He'd gathered all of his men into one conference room, and they all had a mixture of nervousness and expectation on their faces. Whenever Mello had something so important to say that _every_ employee had to be present, it was definitely something you needed to hear. And not being present was usually punished in the most undesirable ways possible. Mello sat in a huge chair at one end of a long, mahogany table, Marcus standing by his side with a pile of papers and folders in his hands. The various employees, from muscled bouncers in cut-off T-shirts to wiry haired, thin old men with thick Russian accents sat in chairs surrounding both sides of the table. In all, about forty people were present.

"I wanted to talk to all of you, regarding the recent breaches in security we've been having." Mello started. The employees sighed in relief. He wasn't angry, just annoyed. "In the past month or so, three unwanted visitors have managed to walk into our building, without so much as a single security checkpoint. One of them even had a weapon."

The bouncers looked uneasy. It was their job to keep unauthorized people out of the building. Mello looked at them. "You all know that the business we do here is extremely sensitive. Our activities must remain in the shadows. We are the Shadowed Empire, after all. Letting random people, especially people with the intent to harm you, myself and the business, walk in our building, bypass all security checkpoints, and make it all the way to the Marcus' desk is not the way to keep your jobs. It is most assuredly not the way to keep your lives."

Mello held out his hand to Marcus, who placed a file there and proceeded to pass out five more amongst certain members of the meeting. "I am assigning a select few of you the task of recruiting more security detail. Note that all recruits will be screened by me personally, but I want thorough background checks and activity reports on every potential addition included in their files. I fear we have entered a war with the Diamonds, and while they are of very little threat to us, I'd rather dispose of them with as little trouble as possible."

The men shook their heads in understanding. The last time they'd been in a conflict with another organization, a gang from Mexico, they'd lost almost 20 men. A small price to pay for maintaining their hold on the city, but still enough to merit extra caution whenever the potential for a struggle was presented.

"Give me several strong, smart men with respect for authority. Ex-military, dirty cops, you get the point. And preferably young. If one of your recruits is selected, there will be a $10,000 bonus in your hands by the end of the week. Of course, you all know the penalty for vouching for someone that betrays us….."

The men nodded again, and Marcus shuddered. Sometimes he wondered if choosing this life was a good decision. Leaving was out of the question, of course, so he just did like the other men in the organization- follow orders, count the money, and try to ignore the horrors of what they did for a living Most of the people in this room enjoyed their activities, all of them ruthless killers, trained assassins, or power-hungry old men. They were all driven by greed for money and respect. The ones that lived this life out of desperation- Marcus, Xavier, and even Mello, as Marcus was beginning to suspect, just tried to get sleep at night without seeing the bloody wounds they'd inflicted on the city.

That night, after being informed of Matt and Alice's shopping escapade, Mello lay beside Matt. Matt was cuddled against him, lazily tracing lines over Mello's muscled chest. He'd drag two fingers over the Rosary, softly inspecting each bead before meeting the wooden cross at the end of the necklace, then gently return to the top and across Mello's collar, down his arms, and over his stomach. They were both silent, enjoying the feeling of being together. Nothing made Mello happier after work than coming home and being with Matt, their love understood rather than spoken at times like this. Matt stopped tracing his torso and slipped his hand into Mello's, rubbing his thumb over Mello's wrist and yawning. Mello turned on his side and pulled Matt against him, entwining their fingers and kissing him once softly.

"I need you to hack into the Diamonds' computers." Mello said. "Could you do that for me?"

"That ridiculous gang that spray paints crowns and gems all over town?"

"That would be them, yes."

"Do they even use computers?"

"I don't know. But I need finance information, travel records, political ties, web search history, etc."

"I can get it all. Just give me a few days."

"Great."

"Alice checked me out today."

"What?"

"I was in bed, naked, because, you know… and when I woke up, she was just standing there in the doorway, staring at my naked body."

Mello laughed hard, squeezing Matt's hand in his own. "Does this upset you?"

"Not particularly. Does it upset you?"

"She's a hormonal woman. You're an attractive.." Mello moved his hand to squeeze Matt's butt firmly. "Make that _very_ attractive man. Of course she's going to look at you. But I don't think I'm going to be replaced any time soon."

"Nah. She's missing a few important body parts for that, anyway." Matt said, yawning again. Mello smirked and pulled the covers over them as Matt began to drift off to sleep.

**Author's Note: Another chapter. This one was rather pointless, doncha think? Nothing advanced the story, just them being regular people. How boring. Hats off to Alice, who got to do what I've been fantasizing about doing since I first watched Death Note: stare at Matt's naked body. Review please! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: I am returned! :D Very happy with the amount of reviews last chapter got, keep up the good work readers! I love you all sooooo so so so much. It's immeasurable. You can't even FATHOM how much I like writing for you. So…review. It makes me happy. Haha. In this chapter, Mello and Alice spend some quality time, Matt tries to quit smoking, and Mello takes a day off from work. **

**Disclaimer: You guys get the point. It's not mine. Never will be. **

A week later, Matt left the apartment late. He hopped in his Camaro and drove slowly, so as not to attract any attention, down town to the Diamonds' headquarters. Their building paled in comparison to Mello's. Mello had three stories of office space and a legitimate accounting business fronting his organization; the Diamonds had a run-down pharmacy that practically screamed for police attention. He pulled his car to a stop near the curb, slid out of his car quietly and snuck around to the back door of the building. A quick observation showed him what he was hoping to see: the back was secured only by a hasp lock, which he removed with bolt cutters. No outdoor surveillance was in place, so he pried the door open, cringing at the creak of the protesting hinges, and entered the building.

Keeping to the shadowed area to his left, he scanned for surveillance cameras. One monitored the wing of the pharmacy to his right, and another was focused on the door at the end of the hallway. He hadn't been spotted yet. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number, which produced a signal that automatically jammed the security cameras with interference.

"Heh heh…just like in Metal Gear Solid…." He whispered to himself, placing the phone back in his pocket. Wherever he was, the camera footage would become static until he left. After taking a look around, he found the terminal station through the unlocked door at the end of the hallway. Only three computers were present, and at least two would be needed to operate the pharmacy's records systems. The remaining computer would store any information the Diamonds wanted kept secret.

"No guards at the doors, two surveillance cameras….These guys don't know what they're doing." Matt muttered as he turned the computers on. Two automatically displayed the pharmacy's logo and a password prompt, the other cheesy picture of a diamond. They were making this way too easy for him. He pulled a flash drive from his pocket and connected it to the diamond monitor's tower. It instantly began to run a program that would guess the diamond password in minutes. Now he waited….

…..Access granted.

"Oh for fuck's sake…" Matt groaned. The password had been diamond. Go figure. He removed his flash drive and opened the browser. "Internet fuckin' Explorer…." He opened the browser history. Apparently whoever ran the terminal for the Diamonds had strong interests in Asian porn and online games. He located the primary email address, and wrote it on his hand. It would be easy for Matt to get all the information he needed using this. He closed the browser, turned off the computers and exited the building, stopping only at a breaker box outside to cut a short in the electricity feed to the security cameras, giving an explanation for all the interference. No one would ever know of his visit.

While Matt was busy pretending to be a secret agent, Mello was pacing the floors of their apartment with worry. Alice had come over earlier to keep Mello calm, but that was as easy as learning to speak Latin in one night.

"I shouldn't have asked him to go." Mello groaned. "I could have had Marcus or Xavier go to their building and set things up. Matt shouldn't have gone."

"I'm sure they would have just messed things up." Alice said. "I've seen him work on his computers; he knows what he's doing. He'll be fine."

"Of course he knows what he's doing! Matt's absolutely impeccable when it comes to these kinds of things. But what if he gets seen, what if he's on camera, or they have guards…"

"He would have called if there was trouble."

"If he could call! My god, they've handcuffed him! He's unconscious…he can't call for help, they're going to interrogate him….link him to me and kill him just for the hell of it."

"That isn't what's going on. Just calm down, he's only been gone an hour."

"I'm going to send someone to check on him. Make sure everything's okay.."

"And jeopardize his stealth? You'd only put him in more danger of being seen."

"But guards…"

"He can shoot a gun, and he can throw a punch. He's been teaching me some self-defense maneuvers."

Mello begrudgingly sat in the recliner. "If he isn't home in the next half hour I'm going to get him."

"Give him more time than that. Jesus, Mello, you're worse than he is with the baby."

Mello glared at her and drummed his fingers frantically on the arm of his chair.

"You want to play some video games?" Alice asked, gesturing to Matt's console.

"Matt lets you touch those?"

"No, only multiplayer on the old games like Mario Kart. But I can show you what he plays the most."

Mello's interest was piqued. He stopped looking for headlights out the window and cocked an eyebrow.

"You know…to help you understand him more…or something." Alice said, turning Matt's PS3 on and searching through his enormous stack of video games. "You should try playing some time."

"How do you know how to turn it on?"

"My ex-boyfriend used to play a lot. Mostly shooting games, but I learned how to operate a system."

The screen turned black and Mello came to sit on the floor beside her. Choir music started blaring through Matt's custom speakers and a man with a shield and a Viking helmet came on the screen.

"What kind of game is this?"

"It's a role playing game. You make a character and do stuff. You can be good or evil, buy a house, things like that."

"I see." Mello looked at the screen. "Is this Matt's character?"

"Yup. His name is Reyklif the Harbinger apparently."

"It looks nothing like Matt….."

"It's an elf."

"Is he going to be upset that we messed with his character?"

"We won't save it, he won't even notice."

Two hours later, Matt returned home. Mello and Alice were sitting in the floor in front of the television….playing a game?

"Uh guys…I'm home."

Mello sprang up from the floor and crossed the room the hug Matt close, kissing him once. "Matty! I'm glad you're back, I was so worried-"

"Yeah Mells. Missed you too." Matt pushed him away gently. "What are you guys playing..OH MY FUCK WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO WHITERUN?!"

"Relax." Alice said. "We didn't save anything, we're just playing around to keep someone from stressing out too much."

"It….auto…saves….." Matt was freaking out.

"What's that mean?" Mello asked.

"It means that everything you've done is PERMANENT! The economy…my reputation…. The unfinished quests…."

"I'm glad you're safe." Mello said. "How'd it go?"

"It went….." All the anger drained from Matt's face. "It went fine. I can have unlimited access in a matter of days."

"That's great!" Alice said. Matt glared at her. Mello didn't play video games, he didn't know better. But HER. She knew how games worked. This would not go unpunished. "I think I'm going to bed now. See you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Alice." Mello said, opening the door for her. "I'm off tomorrow, we'll all go do something as a family."

Alice smiled. "Pick me up whenever you two are ready. Goodnight."

Mello shut the door. Matt was scrolling through all of his previous saves, trying to find something to salvage. "A fucking level 14….. god damnit…"

Mello sat beside him and wrapped his arms around Matt's neck. "I rather enjoyed that game, love. It was fun killing all of those guards."

"I'm…glad you enjoyed yourself." Matt said. "But babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time you want to play, why not wait until I'm here? So we can play together?"

"You're just mad Alice and I messed up your stuff."

"Somewhat…but I'm not really mad. Just a little on edge, from the mission and the nicotine withdrawal."

"Nicotine?"

"Can't smoke around the baby, love."

"You're quitting."

"Cold mother fucking turkey."

Mello hugged him then. "I'm so glad! I've always wanted you to quit. It's bad for your health."

"It fucking sucks. I'm moody, and starving all the time…I just want to hit things. It's not pretty."

"So between your withdrawals and Alice's mood swings….tomorrow will probably be a lot of fun, hmm?" Mello stood up. "Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted from worrying about you."

"yeah..okay." Matt cast one final look at his PS3 before turning the television off and following Mello to the bedroom.

While Mello slept, Matt wrote a virus that would infect the Diamonds' computer and send him whatever information he needed. Disguising the program in a pop-up advertising an online pornographic game, he emailed the virus to the Diamonds' computer operator. When the man clicked the link and downloaded the fake game, he'd introduce Matt's virus to the Diamond computer. Matt would have access to their files whenever he wanted. All they had to do now was wait.

**Author's Note: Matt was like a total secret agent in that one. I had to pull from all of my computer knowledge to write this chapter, so I'm hoping it's realistic. Review if you know what game Alice and Mello were playing (and, you know, include some feedback on this chapter while you're at it!)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Well you guys, it's been a long week. Labor day over here, and let me tell you. It sucked. I had to work triple shifts and miss class, everything was so busy...I hate holidays. I'm going to keep this note short, because I'm ready to get on with the chapter (which is rather long this week.)**

**Disclaimers disclaim things. Also...slightly more mature content in this chapter. Matt's short tempered, Alice is hormonal... lots of language (and some other stuff? ;D)**

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed. xBrokenAngel96, you were the only one who guessed, but you were right! So, as a prize...uh...** watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

**And to the guest review...Near will show up. Eventually. **

**Now. Chapter 11.**

Mello woke up that morning with a minor headache. If he'd been going to work, this would be a problem. Headaches always worsened as soon as he stepped into his office, usually with an enigmatic Marcus following him, talking about the day's schedule. But today was different, and a few aspirin would eliminate this problem. Matt was still asleep. He'd spent most of the night writing that virus; Mello had fallen asleep long before he had.

He frowned. What would they find out about the Diamonds when Matt's program was installed? Something was making them even more self-assured than they were before, like they had a secret. A trump card. Mello would be able to handle anything they had, but not knowing what that was worried him. Sometimes he wished he'd never gotten involved with the Imperii. The money was great, and he loved being in a position of power. But when the time came, and the baby was born...would he be able to leave? Or would he die before he even got the chance to?

Death was an everyday threat. He faced it as soon as he walked out of the door every morning. Matt did as well, but to a lesser extent, and now even Alice was in danger. Their kid would grow up with a price on his head until well after Mello left the Mafia. If things got too bad, they could always private school their child out of country, but that idea only brought sadness each time Mello and Matt discussed it. They'd grown up without families, receiving the best education available to any person on the planet. But not knowing their parents overshadowed any visions of success they might have from their education. At the end of the day, you might know everything; but you still had no one.

Mello glanced at Matt, who was face down in the bed snoring quietly. Discovering their feelings for one another was so important, so massive. They had something to live for. Mello couldn't count the times he'd been in a situation where his very life depended on his willpower. When it would have been easier to give up, to give whatever information was being tortured out of him and let the interrogator kill him in the end, he saw Matt's face. Without Matt, Mello would have died a long time ago, either from murder or taking his own life. Matt was the only source of happiness Mello had ever known.

His thoughts drifted to Near. Growing up in Wammy's, the orphans were conditioned to replace L. Each class lived under the impression that before they reached 18, L would die and one of them would replace him. Classes before them left without that happening, and classes below them would just continue their schooling. When it came time for Mello, Near and Matt to graduate, they received their diplomas with mixed reaction.

For Mello and Matt, it meant freedom from a future that neither of them wanted anymore. Of the two of them, Mello would be the most likely to succeed L. He'd spent most of his life trying to be the first one in line to do so. Matt was never interested to begin with, but the prospect of either of them becoming L's successor meant they would surely be separated. The world's greatest detective couldn't afford any distractions. L living past their graduation meant they could pursue their own lives, independent of the expectations of Wammy's House. But for Near...

Mello wasn't sure how Near felt when they graduated. They hadn't spoken aside from hateful remarks hurled at each other from across the room, and the kid showed emotion like a porcelain doll. But Mello could only imagine what it felt like, to be raised for one single purpose and then have that purpose stripped from you by lack of necessity. Eventually, L would die. But that could be decades from now. What was Near doing, now that he had nothing to hope for? Would he continue to wait like they had their whole lives, for a job that was clouded in anonymity?

Mello sighed; he'd find out in December. He reached over and shook Matt awake. It was after 10 AM, they might as well wake up and get breakfast with Alice. Matt grumbled.

"Wake up love." Mello said. "We've got a date with Alice."

"...uhnn..."

"Come on, you didn't stay up that late."

"How would you know?" he yawned. "You were asleep ten minutes after we went to bed."

Mello turned and raised from the bed. The movement caused the pain in his temples to intensify, but he ignored it. Matt groaned and arched his back in a stretch that lasted forever before reaching for his goggles and a shirt.

"I'm going to shower, Mells." He said, slowly moving across the floor. His gait resembled that of a poorly animated zombie. Mello went into the kitchen and took some aspirin, then went outside to get the newspaper. Donning his silk and fur robe, he made his way barefoot to Alice's door and knocked gently.

She opened shortly after, already awake. "Hello? Oh. Hey Mello." She admired the robe he was wearing. It probably cost more than most of her wardrobe.

"Good morning, Alice. I just stopped by to inform you that we will be leaving in about an hour and a half."

"The park, right?"

"Breakfast first, then the park."

"Alright. I'll be ready when you guys are. But why so long from now?"

Mello smiled. "Matt's got to get dressed and I need to bathe."

Alice nodded. They said goodbye and Mello left. Back in his apartment, Matt was exiting the bathroom, a towel tied loosely at his waist. Mello entered with the paper and removed his robe. He was wearing only his boxers underneath.

"You're dripping onto the carpet, Matty." he said.

"Big deal." Matt answered. Instead of going to the bedroom and getting dressed, he went to the kitchen and started looking for pop tarts.

Mello came to stand beside him, admiring the way the droplets of water would drip from Matt's hair, over his shoulders and down his muscled back, disappearing into the dark blue towel. He could feel the remaining heat from the water emanating from Matt's body, even through the cold air from the fridge.

More water drops were making their ways across Matt's chest and neck. Mello wanted to trace them, follow their paths with his tongue. He reached out gently to touch Matt.

"Hey babe?" Matt said, moving from the fridge to search more roughly in the cabinets above the stove. Mello's hand returned to his side and he followed Matt across the floor.

"Yeah?"

"Where are the pop tarts?"

"I'm not sure. We may be out."

"Fuckin' Christ..." Matt slammed the cabinet door, startling Mello. He was angry? The motion caused more water to fall from Matt's bangs.

"We're going to get breakfast with Alice soon anyway, love." Mello said. "You can eat then."

"I want pop tarts." Matt said. "I don't fucking want to eat eggs or bacon or whatever shit they're going to serve in the diner."

Mello reached for him again, placing his palm on Matt's shoulder. "We'll go grocery shopping later tonight then?"

Matt moved away from him, shoving him to the side roughly. "I want them now, god damnit!" His face was flooding with red, like it did when he was agitated. Mello was amused by this. Matt was rarely angry; the need for nicotine must be causing him to be on edge. It was even more arousing than the way the water moved over his body.

Matt stormed to the bedroom, flinging the towel from his waist to the floor of the doorway. Mello followed. Matt was sitting on the bed, griping to himself and searching for underwear in a bedside dresser. Mello climbed on the bed with him and sat behind him, reaching out to rub Matt's arms.

"Can't fucking get any breakfast, have to wait to eat shit at some restaurant..." Matt was saying. Mello leaned forward to nuzzle his face against Matt's neck. "Nobody ever does fucking anything around here. I'm the only one, and when I want some god damn pop tarts, they're not there. Fucking brilliant."

Mello kissed his damp skin softly. "Calm down love. It's not a big deal, you're just uneasy."

Matt growled and shoved Mello back. "It's not a big deal?" He said, gritting his teeth. "Don't fucking tell me it's not a big deal. You don't fucking know how I think, Mello."

Mello frowned and sat back up, reaching for Matt again.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Matt growled, standing up. "Just leave me alone, dammit!"

Mello wasn't pleased. Matt never got rough, and it was starting to piss him off. He got off the bed and walked around to face Matt, who was crouching on the floor throwing all of his socks out of the drawer.

"Where the hell are all my boxers?!"

"Matt."

"I can't fucking find anything. This is fucking bullshit."

"Matt." Mello said again, crossing his arms.

"I swear to god, if something doesn't turn up I'm going to shoot something."

"_MATT."_ Mello growled lowly. Matt's head popped up to glare at him.

"Fucking what?! Jesus, Mells."

Mello grabbed Matt by his shoulders and pulled him up from his knees. He shoved him down on his back, pinning Matt's arms over his head before he could object.

"Mello, what the hell? Get off of me!"

"Like hell I will." Mello growled. He bit onto Matt's collar firmly, hearing the redhead exclaim in pain. "I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bitch about everything that's upsetting you. You will not disrespect me, do you understand? It's just the withdrawals, fucking get over yourself."

Matt struggled against him, but Mello was stronger. Mello bit him again and Matt cringed, but then sank back, rolling his head to the side, granting Mello access to his neck. Mello kissed there gently, lowering the rest of his body onto Matt's but letting the his arms free. Matt's hands came to circle around Mello's neck, pulling the blonde even closer to him. Mello continued to nip at his neck, pulling the skin back with his teeth. Matt groaned in protest, but Mello ran his tongue over the area and Matt's protests turned to whimpers of need.

Matt moved his hands down Mello's back, dragging his palms over the tight muscles of Mello's torso. Mello's own hands traveled over Matt's stomach, tangling his fingers in the hair there. Matt had very little body hair, his legs and arms having only a thin growth since they'd both hit puberty; his chest and abdominal hair being the same.

Matt shivered, arching his back up and pressing his chest against Mello's. His mouth found Mello's then, and Mello's tongue was quick to enter, exploring every crevice behind Matt's soft lips. Their kisses grew rougher, needier, their lips and teeth colliding every few seconds. A moan drifted up from Mello's throat. Matt's nails dug into his back as they moved against each other, slowly dragging down to hook into Mello's waistband. He tugged on Mello's boxers, but the blonde slapped his hand and pulled away from their kiss, leaving Matt confused and disheveled.

"M-Mello..." Matt stuttered, gasping for breath and glancing down at his lap, where the result of their activity was displayed.

"Fuck, Matty," Mello smirked. "You look delicious like that. But we need to get going." Matt nodded, sitting up slowly and rubbing the bite marks on his collarbone. "And Matt?"

"Yeah Mells?"

"Don't ever try to order me around again. We are equals, do you understand?"

Matt sighed. "Yeah Mello. I'm sorry I was being such a dick earlier."

"It's alright." Mello pulled Matt against him, kissing his chapped lips softly, lingering. "I love you, you know."

"I know." Matt pushed Mello's hair out of his face. It was messed up from earlier. He'd freak if he saw it.

Mello walked to the dresser and tossed Matt a pair of boxers, which Matt hastily put on. Mello took a shower.

Alice was still prone to vomiting whenever she came around strong smells, so they decided to eat at a sandwich shop rather than a full-service diner. She looked dramatically better compared to the pale, exhausted woman she'd been a week ago.

"You know," She said, chewing her ham croissant slowly, "next Friday I'll have been pregnant a month."

"Have you been taking your vitamins?" Mello asked.

"Of course." She laughed. "If I didn't, Matt would be over at my apartment shoving them down my throat. I'm not taking any risks."

"We have a doctor's appointment next month. On the 8th." Matt said, looking enviously at the waitress taking a smoking break outside. "Going to get a sonogram. We'll see the baby for the first time."

"That's excellent." Mello said, placing his own sandwich on his table. "Remind me to get you a driver."

Alice looked queasy for a second, but the moment passed. "How long till we find out if it's a boy or girl?"

"You won't be able to tell until at least month five, sometimes later." Mello said. Matt's fingers were drumming on the table impatiently.

"Have you guys thought of any names yet?" Alice asked, glancing frustratedly at Matt's hands.

"We haven't even discussed it." Mello said, motioning to the waiter for a refill on his water.

Matt bit his lip, his fingers still tapping on the table top. "It'll be easier when we know the gen-"

"Will you please stop that?" Alice interrupted.

"Stop what?" Matt looked confused.

"Your fingers. I have a headache."

"The noise isn't that loud, Alice." Matt said, continuing to drum his fingertips.

"Let's all be civil..." Mello said. Alice frowned.

"It doesn't matter how loud it is." She said. "It bothers me, stop."

"I can do this if I want, dammit."

"Stop it, Matt!"

"Make me."

Alice stood up. "I don't have to put up with this. I'm going back home."

"Alice, wait." Mello said. She walked away angrily, shoving the door open and walking down the sidewalk.

Mello looked at Matt, who threw his hands up over his head. Mello tossed a hundred dollar bill to the table and jogged out the door, trying to catch up with Alice. Matt continued to chew his food, putting the money in his pocket.

"Alice!" Mello called, gaining distance with every step. He caught up with her shortly.

"Just leave me alone, I need some space." She said, tears welling in her eyes. "Please."

Mello frowned. "Come on now, don't cry. Let's sit down." He motioned to a bench a few feet ahead of them. Alice nodded silently.

"Matt wasn't trying to upset you." Mello said. "Well, not at first."

"He didn't stop when I asked nicely. Then he yelled at me!" A single tear fell, leaving a streak over her cheek.

"He didn't mean it, I promise." Mello said. "He's just really irritable."

"Why?" Alice asked, sniffling.

"He's trying to quit smoking. Nothing he says is personal, it's just the withdrawals."

"...oh." Alice said.

"Yeah. So, you want to come back to the diner now?"

"Will you make him apologize for hurting my feelings?"

"Of course." Mello said, standing. "I won't even have to tell him to, I'm sure he feels awful about it already." She laughed and pointed. Mello's gaze followed and saw Matt charging down the sidewalk, shoving pedestrians out of his way.

"Alice!" He was shouting. "Alice, wait up!" He finally met them, trying to catch his breath. "Alice...Oh my god, I'm so fucking sorry...please don't be mad...please..."

"It's alright Matt. I over reacted."

"I did too...fuck, remind me not to run anymore."

Mello laughed.

"Alice.." Matt said, standing up straight. "I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Matt looked at Mello, who nodded with a smile, before grabbing Alice in a crushing hug. "You're extremely important to me, Alice. I'm an asshole."

Alice laughed and hugged Matt back, despite her not having a choice in the matter. "Yeah..you are. But it's okay, you mean well."

Mello sent a text message, and their car pulled to the curb shortly after. They all loaded up in the back.

"Matt, did you pay the sandwich shop?" Mello asked, closing the door.

"Fuuuuck..."

That night, after Alice had left to go to bed, Mello was shaving in their bathroom when he heard Matt shout in triumph.

"Hahahahaaaaaaa! He took my bait Mells!"

"The Diamonds?"

"YEP! Now I just do this..." Mello came to stand beside him. Matt's fingers flew over the keys, typing what looked like gibberish to Mello, a long paragraph of letters and symbols. "Tada!"

"What can you tell me?" Mello asked, kissing the top of Matt's head.

"Well, it would seem that they've got some business down in Baja. Looks like a cartel, maybe trafficking."

"That's rather far away." Mello said. "Does it say who's in charge of the operation?"

"Hmm...there. Enrico Ylata." Matt wrote that name down on a notepad.

"Probably a marijuana cartel then. When's the delivery date?"

"Day after tomorrow."

Mello nodded. "Anything else?"

"He's got quite a few emails from a Nathan McAllan."

"The Senator?"

"It doesn't say 'Senator,' but probably so."

"They've gotten political sway..." Mello muttered. The Diamonds had gotten more powerful. "I'll need to establish surveillance then."

"And there are quite a few mentions of Santa Barbara."

"What about it?"

"The docks. I think they're buying a boat."

"I see."

"That's all for now. It isn't much, but it's recent."

"This is enough. Thanks Matt." Mello said, kissing him softly. He started to pull away, but Matt grabbed his face and deepened the kiss, standing from his chair and pulling Mello against him. Mello gently nibbled Matt's bottom lip. Matt's tongue slid past Mello's lips, teasing him before swiftly exiting again. Mello chuckled. "Bed?"

Matt's breathing was heavier. "Fuck yes. Immediately."

**Author's Note: Well? Well? WELLLL?! Haha. Sorry about that one part in the middle, you know, the one where things got a little heavy? I don't know, it just seemed like the kind of thing Mello would do in that situation. If you liked it, tell me. If not? TELL MEEEEE. **

**Review feed my ego, and it's HONGRAY. Haha ^^ **


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note: Welp, it's been another week you guys. Time to update! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'm so glad you all liked last chapter. I felt loved, I worked really hard on that part haha! 52 reviews!**

**By the way, I happened to watch the first live action Death Note movie last weekend... For those of you who haven't seen it, I found it hilariously awful. Light was all "Someone's breaking the law? Better pull out my 20 foot Death Note and write their name down, hope this HUGE CROWD OF PEOPLE I'm standing amongst don't suspect something." Seriously. Awful. And L was Japanese? NO. I mean, Hellsing at least got English voice actors to do the anime, they could have hired ONE European guy to play L. But no, they didn't. Awful. **

**Now that my rant is over, I might as well get on with the chapter, ya think? ^^ This one's mostly about Mello, he's gotten a lot of things to take care of the past few chapters. **

**This disclaimer is disclaiming things. **

**Chapter 12! **

"Here ya go, boss." Marcus said, handing Mello a stack of folders. "They gave me these to give to you. They're potential hires." Mello took the stack and placed them on his desk, sipping his coffee contemplatively. "I'll look over them. Schedule a meeting for 4:00 PM today."

"Yes sir." Marcus said. "Who will be attending?"

"Everyone who handed in potential hires, the security teams, the Executives of course, and the Tech department."

Marcus made a note. "Alright, it's done. Will you expect me to be there as well?"

Mello thought a minute. "No, that won't be necessary. You are free to leave at your regular time today."

"Thanks boss." Marcus said, leaving. Mello opened the folder on the top of the pile. The fuzzy mugshot of a large man stared back at him. His name was Ian Renozo, a 30 year old repeat offender. The man had obviously seen pain in his lifetime, no doubt caused some himself. He continued browsing files and sorting through paperwork until Marcus left, signaling an hour remaining until his meeting. He made a quick phone call home to let Matt know he'd most likely be late getting home and gathered the necessary items for the meeting. People were beginning to file into a conference room across the building. Mello grabbed his briefcase and locked his office, leaving to join the men in the meeting room.

Ten minutes passed, and every attendant was present. Mello sat at the head of the large mahogany table. Only half of the table's chairs were filled, but the men that were there took up an enormous amount of space nonetheless. The only exceptions were the men from the technical department, whose thin, pale bodies were barely noticeable amongst the sea of muscle. They sat at the opposite end of the table, as if fearing that the larger men would harass them because of their size. Whenever Matt would visit the building, the men from that department would watch in awe as he did the hardest of tasks with ease. No matter how long they'd worked for Mello, hacking into corporate accounts and government databases sometimes on a daily basis, Matt had a certain knack when it came to this line of work that none of them even hoped to achieve.

The Executives were there as well, old Russian men that analyzed every move Mello made. If he messed something up, it would surely be reported back to the main faction in Russia. Mello was in charge, but even he had superiors. The Executives were there to make sure every decision was beneficial to the needs of the master faction.

"Alright, let's get started." Mello said. "The last time we convened, I assigned some of you the task of recruiting new members. I understand that my motives for doing so were not made clear, and that may have affected whom you recruited. To support my decision to increase the amount of manpower we have, I recently, of my own accord, came into possession of information concerning a rival faction."

The group mulled this over silently for a moment. "It's the Diamonds, ain't it boss?" Asked a member from security.

"Yes. After gaining access to their computers," the men from the tech department looked at one another. He hadn't asked for their help. Matt must have done the job. "I understand that they are not only having regular contact with a particularly influential state senator, but are also involved in some major operations in Baja."

"Was it wise to keep them unsupervised for so long?" A gray-haired man in a black suit asked. "They've obviously been busy while staying discreet."

Mello's lips thinned. "Until recently, they have been without a discernible method of organization. Petty theft, minor altercations with other small gangs over territory, etc. I didn't feel the need to waste resources on what seemed of no threat to us. That view changed when the leader of the Diamonds himself, Richard Corsantos, confronted me in person. Not only was he confident enough to challenge me directly, he also somehow managed to know my name and the real name of our organization."

Several of the Executives frowned.

"This sudden act of assurance led me to suspect the Diamonds had acquired power, either through a large amount of money or by persuading a politician. Although the latter was the case, either cause would be justification for increasing our number of foot soldiers. Which brings me to the next topic." Mello took the folders containing the prospective soldiers from his briefcase. "I have reviewed the potential additions submitted by those of you present, and feel that three of them are excellent choices."

He slid a file to Pierce, who was sitting to his left. "Pierce, you submitted Devian Rogers. I'm very pleased with your research. The man has a minor national criminal record, nothing that will flag him immediately in any database. No scars or other identifiable traits, no family, ex-corporal in the military, dishonorably discharged for violence and cruelty to civilians. He's in." Pierce looked pleased with himself.

"Victor," Mello said, sliding a file toward another man. "your submission was excellent as well, except that the man has a family. I'm not keen on bringing a father into this lifestyle. Nevertheless, if he's expressed interest, he fits the criteria perfectly. He's in."

One more man was invited to join the organization, and Mello returned the files to his briefcase. "Now then. Following up this topic, I'm going to describe the intimate details of the intelligence I have on the Diamonds. I have reason to believe that they are operating in both Mexico and California. They have recently demonstrated interest in purchasing at least one boat from a company in Santa Barbara. I don't know their intentions for needing a water vessel, but simply having the finances to afford one is cause for action."

"What are you suggesting?" A thin, balding Executive asked.

Mello frowned. He did not like being interrupted. "I am issuing an order of surveillance. One of us is going to pose as a salesman at the marina. We will outfit one of our own boats with wire taps and hidden cameras, and sell that boat to the Diamonds. They will most likely not discover our...additions...to the interior of the vessel, given the amount of collective intelligence we've witnessed. When I decide their possession of a boat is no threat to us, we will either remove the devices or turn them off until further need for their use is presented." He paused. There seemed to be no objection to the decision. "Rob, Dom," The two tech department members, huddled at the far end of the table, lifted their eyes to meet Mello. "You two will be outfitting the boat with the taps and cameras. I will have my friend Matt inspect your work, so absolute perfection will be required."

The two men looked concernedly at one another. Usually habitually lazy, the thought of actually putting effort into something that didn't involve sitting behind a desk was intimidating and demotivating. But an inspection by Matt would demand more than perfection.

Mello explained the details of his knowledge of the Diamond's current activity to the rest of the group. The Executives were not pleased that they had been able to sway Senator Nathan McAllan, and demanded that Mello remedy the situation as soon as possible. He gave the order that no one was to intercept or confront members of the Diamonds on the street, and that they would remain uninvolved with their business in Mexico until Mello ordered otherwise. After that, the meeting adjourned.

Back home, Matt had found a way to suppress the nicotine withdrawals, a bittersweet discovery for Alice. Matt had discovered the calming, serene effects of energy drinks.

"Hey Alice." He said, popping up behind the couch she was sitting on.

"Yes Matt?" Her stomach was beginning to distend, finally showing physical signs of the pregnancy other than nausea.

"Did you know that in 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning the American Flag was a form of symbolic protest that is protected by your Constitution's First Amendment?"

"No, I can't say that I did."

"It totally happened. You see," He said, leaping from behind the couch to the armchair. "AGH MOTHER FUCKING SHIT FUCK!" He had landed butt-first on one of his console controllers, which could not have possibly caused as much pain as he was reacting to. The controller was promptly tossed across the room, only for Matt to speed over and pick it up, whispering sincere apologies to the plastic.

"What was I saying?" He asked moments later, returning the controller to the table in the middle of the room and taking his seat.

"Nothing important." Alice said, hoping he'd forgotten.

"OH YEAAAH!" He said, frantically combing his hair from his face. "Anyway, the Republican National Convention was held in Texas in 1984, and a man named Gregory Johnson was protesting their little meeting by burning your country's flag."

"...so?"

"Well, Texas, being the Star-Spangled Super Hero it is, sued the balls out of him for the senseless act of burning a piece of material. Eventually the Supreme Court...The U.S. Supreme Court, not Texas'...although Texas' Supreme Court did hear the case before the U.S.' did... anyway they said that the first amendment states that the freedom of speech extends to acts of "symbolic expression," and that Johnson had the right to burn the flag."

"Why is this relevant, exactly?"

Matt thought for a moment. "Hmm...I'm not sure. Guess I thought you should learn something?"

"How do you know so much about American history? You're from England."

"Actually, I'm American, but Mello needed to take the citizenship test a few years ago, and we learned quite a bit."

"You studied that hard?"

Matt's answer was delayed as he struggled to adjust his goggles to be comfortable on his face. "No, we just studied the basics. When you're as smart as us, and I mean when you're MOTHER FUCKING GENIUSES, you learn small things like court case details easily."

"Still don't see why you bothered telling me..." But Matt was out of his chair and across the room, staring at his video game collection.

"Damn, this is a wreck." he said, picking up one of the titles and placing it under his arm. "I need to organize this. Now. Like RIGHT NOW."

"You'll just have it messy again in a week."

But he was already hard at work, pulling every game from its rack and to the floor. "I'll alphabetize!" He said. "No, i'll organize them by release date! Genre? So many options..."

"Don't think for a second i'm going to help you." Alice said, standing up and grabbing a book from Mello's impeccably organized library.

"Like I want your _inferior_ mind organizing my collection?!" Matt said. He was sitting amidst a pile of different colored game cases, ranging from lime green to black to white or gray. "This is a task for only the sharpest of minds! When I'm finished, it will be perfect! An example of my dedication to these games! A monument to their importance! A SHINING REPRESENTATION OF THEIR BEAUTY!"

Alice ignored him, turning a page in her book.

A few hours later, Mello returned home. Alice was on the couch, mid-way through a book. There was a huge mess in front of the television, and Matt was nowhere to be seen.

"This doesn't look good."

Alice turned to face him. "Oh, you mean the monument to organization and beauty over there?"

Mello laughed. "Is that what it is, then? Where is he?"

"Well, he started to organize his game collection, then decided that it wasn't as pressing as backing up his computers, went to your bedroom to retrieve them and fell asleep."

"Sugar crash, i'm guessing?"

Alice nodded. "I'd prefer it if he just kept smoking."

**Author's Note: Special shout-out to my friends Robert and Dominic, who made a cameo up there in the meeting. Bet ya can't guess who they were (okay, you're right, they were the Russian Executives that kept bothering Mello. NOT) I'm trying to make them understand their mutual love for each other, because the sexual tension between those two is enough to make any fangirl die in a puddle of SQUEEEE! If you guys only knew... **

**Anyway, there's a review button down there. Click it and receive +3 internets. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hello everyone. It's that time again, isn't it? :) I don't have anything to say, so thanks to everyone who reviewed. And to the few new followers we have, welcome to the family. I hope you enjoy the ride. **

**Blah blah blah disclaimer. **

**Chapter 13.**

Something was wrong. It was 7 AM, and Matt was willingly awake. Taking a shower, singing even, and dressing nicely. Mello was awake and dressed as well, preparing coffee for Matt. It was still a little early for breakfast. What was the occasion? Alice had a doctor's appointment. Today would be the day they, as a family, saw the baby for the first time via ultrasound. Alice's medical records stated that Matt was the father of the child, but Mello wasn't going to miss something as important as this. He would be attending the appointment as Alice's older brother.

"'Mornin' Mells." Matt said as he pulled a sweater over his head.

"Good morning." Mello replied. He handed Matt a cup of coffee and kissed him. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"Yeah. Just let me get my hand-held and put on some shoes." Matt was gaining ground in the battle against nicotine addiction. Almost a month had passed since he'd decided to quit, and the withdrawals were barely noticeable anymore. The only indication that he had once been a smoker was the slight smell that remained in his clothes and their bed sheets and the longing look he would sometimes give strangers enjoying a cigarette.

"Are you really bringing that?" Mello asked, pointing to the black DS in Matt's hands.

"Mells, hospitals are boring. Waiting rooms are boring." He pulled on his tennis shoes and slid the device into the pocket of his jeans. "Besides, I just got Heartgold and I need to beat the Elite Four, might as well do it now."

"That honestly interests you more than quiet conversation with Alice and I?"

"Mello, remember back in Wammy's when you kept trying to beat Near and be number one?"

"Unfortunately, why?"

"Well, Pokemon is just like that. You have to catch all the Pokemon to be the best."

"I take it you want to be the best?"

"You have no fucking idea...ahem..." Matt cleared his throat. "I WANNA BE... THE VERY BEST!"

"I see."

"LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS!"

"Matt, are you...singing?"

"TO CATCH THEM IS MY REAL TEST!"

"I think I can understand the point of the game without-"

"TO TRAIN THEM IS MY CAUSE!"

Mello left the kitchen and grabbed his coat. "I get it, Matty. It's important."

"Just thought I'd illustrate that point a little. Shall I sing the rest?"

"That won't be necessary. It's time to leave."

Matt continued to hum the tune to the song as they walked to Alice's door.

Two hours later, they were in the OBGYN clinic. Alice had been through registration already, and they all patiently waited for her name to be called. Matt laid casually in his chair, stretching his legs across the arm and resting his feet in another seat. Mello sat with perfect posture beside him, making an effort not to appear as involved with Matt as he naturally was. One did not hold the hand of the man who, for the interests of today, knocked up one's younger sister. Alice was hunched in her chair, Matt's striped jacket over her chest like a blanket.

They sat there until Alice's scheduled appointment time came, and finally an older nurse in blue and white scrubs called out "Alice Mcready?" and they rose, filing past the nurse. She seemed to object to Mello's presence, but a harsh look from him kept her mouth shut. They were led to a room with a single bed and two small chairs. An odd device was beside the bed, presumably the sonogram machine. The men took their places in the chairs while a young nurse, a male this time, helped Alice get situated in the large bed. He took some notes, asked Alice questions about her diet and her over all pregnancy experience, then asked Mello and Matt to leave the room as he prepared her for the procedure.

Minutes later they were allowed back in. Alice was grimacing at her stomach. Mello only now noticed how much it was distended with their child. She was obviously pregnant, but you couldn't tell it because she had made a habit of wearing baggy clothes the larger her stomach got. The nurse had smeared a thick, purple-ish goo on her midriff, a lubricant and conductor for the sonogram wand.

"Alright," The nurse said, grabbing the wand and turning the machine on. "who's ready to see the baby?"

Matt looked excitedly at Mello, who was feeling the familiar rush of emotions he always experienced when the reality of this agreement flooded over him. He bit his lip and looked at Matt's hands, which were shaking nervously. He wished he could hold them, to calm the anxiety they were displaying. But that would throw the facade they'd built to keep the hospital from asking questions, so he fought the urge and watched as the nurse slowly guided the wand over Alice's stomach and stared at the screen on the ultrasound. The screen was a black cone, with occasional flurries of white or gray. The nurse adjusted the wand a few times until the display changed, now offering a blurry lump between the angles of the cone. Nothing was discernible to Matt, Mello, or Alice, but the nurse was smiling.

"There it is!" he said, pausing to snap a few pictures with a button on the machine. "It's still too early to tell the sex, but there is definitely a baby in there."

Matt's face exploded in a smile, while Mello started to quietly hyperventilate. Alice smiled serenely, brushing her hair from her face and staying silent.

"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" The nurse asked.

"Of course we would." Mello said. Alice nodded as well. The nurse flipped a switch on the machine and the steady hum of gentle static rang out into the room. The nurse guided the wand across Alice's stomach, directly above her navel. Alice's heartbeat was audible. The room was silent as they waited to hear the baby's addition to that noise.

Matt's hands had stopped shaking. Every ear was intent on listening for a sound, a sound that didn't seem to be coming. The nurse adjusted the wand again, moving it lower and turning the sensitivity up. Still no second heartbeat. The nurse tried again. A minute passed. Mello's mind was racing with a million explanations for the lack of noise. Concern clouded Alice's face, and Matt was looking from Mello to the nurse, silently begging for any reason why the machine hadn't changed its noise.

"Something's wrong, I can't seem to find it..." the nurse said. "Don't be alarmed, I'm sure it's just a problem with the machine." he moved the wand more dramatically, trying to find a source of noise. Three more minutes passed. Still only Alice's heartbeat was registering. Mello knew it was probably just a malfunction, but every possible negative situation was screaming through his head. Matt was the same. There was no second heartbeat. There was no life. The silhouette they had fawned over earlier was just a shadow on a screen, a cruel trick played by an unfair god to torture their minds and souls. Alice looked to Mello, begging him to fix this. The nurse moved the wand still, spreading the gel higher up her body, biting his lip in frustration.

Mello's eyes filled with tears. Matt was already sobbing, a look of horror plastered on his face. The nurse looked confused and reached to turn the machine off before Alice sat up suddenly.

"Wait!" She shouted, and grabbed the wand from the nurse's hand, pressing it back to her stomach where it had previously been.

Mello swallowed and prepared to accept the nightmare when his whole world flipped. Matt had stopped sobbing and was now listening too, because, if they listened hard enough, they noticed a slight change in Alice's heartbeat, specifically a faint echo following it.

Bum-bum...bum-bum...bum-bum _bum_...bum-bum_ bum_...bum-bum_ bum..._ bum-bum.._bum-bum_..bum-bum..._bum-bum..._

**Author's note: Be sure to review! And check out the review board, my friend Robert has demanded I direct you readers' attention to his review. Read it at your own risk. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello all. What time is it? (if you say adventure time I'll kill you...) **

**RIGHT! Time for a new chapter! **

**I recently searched the name of this fic on the site and was greatly displeased at the amount of stories that share that name. I am considering renaming it, but a suitable title is not something I can come up with. So when you lovely people review, if you wouldn't mind slipping in a suggestion for the new name of this story, I would be very grateful. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I felt kinda bad about ending it the way I did, but I couldn't help myself. In this chapter we have some Mello business, and Matt and Alice talk about baby names. For a little bit. **

**And now, Chapter 14. **

"What do you think about Liam?" Alice asked over a bowl of sugared oatmeal. Matt paused the game on the television and turned to look at her, a pop-tart hanging precariously from his mouth. He had been eating it without using his hands, as they were busy doing more important things in Stillwater.

"Neeson?" he asked. "The guy's a fucking boss. I'd love to meet him."

"I meant for your baby."

"Mello and I drove by his house once on our way to a meeting. He wasn't home, but still."

"I meant for your baby, Matt."

"...oh. Hmm...assuming we have a boy, that would be a good name."

"Or maybe Anthony." Alice offered, chewing more oatmeal. "Or Jeremy..or Alexander..."

"There are too many good names to choose just yet." Matt said, returning to his game. "And Mello might want to have some input too..."

Alice chuckled. "Of course. Which last name is he going to take?"

"Mine, of course. I will be the legal father on the health records."

"So it needs to sound good with Jeamus."

"Jeevas..." Matt corrected.

"Sorry. Hmm...Jeevas..." Alice stood up and put her bowl in the sink. "What's Mello's last name?"

Matt's eyes narrowed. "No."

"What?"

Matt turned to face her again. "Mello's identity is his own business. Should he choose to tell you his real name, then you'll know."

"Because of the mafia stuff?" Alice asked. It was suddenly very tense and awkward.

"Yes, but not only because of that. We were raised to keep our identities secret. Our entire lives were in the shadows, for our protection. Now is no different. If anyone finds out our names, they'll be able to find us; things won't go well if someone that's looking that hard finds us."

"Do you know his real name?"

Matt nodded. "He knows mine too."

Alice looked at the ground. "Have you always known?"

"No. It took a while for me to trust him enough to tell him."

Alice sat down on the couch beside Matt. "When was this?"

"Back in school. We'd been together for about a year, things were getting real. Mello kissed me first, that's what started our relationship. But he'd always been a little less comfortable with it, especially being public. It was the Wammy's New Year celebration..."

**(flashback)**

"_C'mon Mells, let me in." Matt said to the closed door. Mello grunted from behind it, locked in their room. "You know I didn't mean it like that."_

"_I know exactly what you meant. There's no reason you should have told anybody."_

_Matt sighed. Earlier, at the party, he'd made the mistake of telling a few other students that he and Mello had been attempting to have sex for the first time. He hadn't meant to upset Mello. The other kids were bragging about how they'd been experimenting themselves, Matt just felt the need to fit in and assert that, regardless of his sexuality, he was getting just as much action as they were._

"_Will you just let me explain?" Matt asked, resting his forehead on the door. Two girls walked by, giggling at the sight of Matt having relationship troubles. The females here were fascinated by Mello and Matt, as if the novelty of their relationship was something to fawn over constantly. _

"_Okay. Fine. Explain, Matt." Mello said. His voice was muffled, but Matt could hear the anger behind the words. _

"_I...uhh..I just..." Matt stuttered. "Fuck Mells, I don't know what I was thinking. I care about you, okay? Isn't that all that matters?"_

"_No!" Mello yelled. "We fought Roger to stay roommates, we fought the board for our right to be together, we literally fought our classmates to be left alone about all of it, but none of that fucking matters because you're only with me to get off!"_

"_Where the hell did you get that idea?!" Matt objected. _

"_You said so!"_

"_When? I've never said that because it's not true!"_

"_You implied it. If you cared about me you wouldn't have been bragging to those morons about us fooling around. I'm nothing but a fucking toy to you."_

"_What the fuck are you talking about Mello? I just contributed to the conversation! Would you rather I not mention it at all? Like I was ashamed that we're trying to have sex? Would that make you happy? Or would you just freak out like this because you'd think that I wasn't attracted to you?"_

"_I am not freaking out!" _

"_You've locked me out of the fucking room."_

"_I don't even know what to say. You'll never understand why this is such a big deal. Just...go away."_

"_Where, exactly, the roof? I don't have anywhere to go. Let me in."_

"_I don't want to fucking see you."_

"_Too fucking bad, we share a room. Let me in."_

"_Go sleep with Near." Mello said. "Don't come back until you can prove to me I can trust you."_

_Matt clenched his fists and walked to the stairs, sitting at the foot in silence. Anyone that walked by him was met with a glare so intense they didn't stick around long enough to ask why he was so upset. Mello sat in their room, equally as angry. He wanted to break things, preferably something of Matt's. He put his face in his hands and sighed, wondering if he should just end everything with Matt and forget he ever happened. Roger would give him a new roommate in seconds; he'd never been comfortable with the two of them sharing. Matt couldn't possibly understand why Mello was angry, or he'd have apologized earlier. _

_All this work, all these feelings...and he couldn't trust him after all. Mello's stomach was knotted in anxiety and rage. He hated himself for letting someone get close enough to him to do this, close enough to distract him from his goals in life and school. He hated Matt for being so god damn perfect. Mello had always been selfish, but Matt made him want to care about someone else. To look out for someone else. Still, if Matt was only using him..._

_After some time, Matt stood up and straightened his clothes, charging up the stairs and down the hall to the door to their room. He started to knock, then stopped himself. Would this be enough? _

_He took a deep breath in and said "Mello..."_

_It was silent for a moment, then, "Yes?" _

"_Mail."_

"_Mail? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"_

"_My name, Mells. It's Mail. Mail Jeevas."_

_Matt waited for a response. He heard nothing. They both stood there on opposite sides of the door, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened. Nobody ever told anyone their real names. Matt was risking his life. Mello had just been given a huge responsibility. Matt stood silently, waiting for Mello to say anything, to acknowledge that he understood what Matt had just given him. Moments later, the door cracked open and ice blue eyes met soft green ones. _

**(End Flashback)**

"Wow."

"That's how it happened."

"Did you two have sex after that?"

Matt raised an eyebrow to her in disbelief. "Did you really just ask that?"

"I'm just sayin', if any guy did something that big for me i'd lay him in a heartbeat."

"I'm going to ignore that."

Alice laughed.

At work, Mello had just finished personally welcoming the new additions to the family. The three new members didn't know whether to feel accomplished for surviving Mello's brutal initiations or to beg to be set free and never come into this building again. There was only so much they could withstand, and Mello pushed past that limit as soon as he found it. Newly initiated, however, the men understood that they belonged to something greater than they'd imagined. The wealth that engulfed every aspect of Mello's organization was enough to make tempt the weaker men into conforming. The strength and power Mello'd shown when introducing them to this world was enough to keep the strong men from leaving their place. Mello was the boss, and none of these men would question that.

Matt had continued to monitor the Diamond's only computer for any new information. The tech department had successfully installed bugs and cameras in the boat that had been overhauled for the next operation, and Matt would be inspecting it the following week. Everything was going according to plan. The Diamond's contact with Senator McAllan had remained constant, with little information being revealed. Mello suspected that he'd simply hired one of the Diamond's prostitutes, and, when the Diamonds presented him with evidence of this, cowered to their extortion. He would be easy to sway, if they had the opportunity.

Marcus tapped on the glass walls of Mello's office to signal his leaving the building, and Mello waved him on. He thought for a little while more, watching the city adjust to the night out his window, then left himself.

**Remember! Review for a new title. My favorite one will be picked, of course. And include any suggestions you have for the name of the baby, as well as the gender! We'll find out soon if it's a boy or a girl! **


	15. BONUS CHAPTER!

**Author's Note: B-B-Bonus Chapter! Haha I felt like writing, so here you go. It advances the story in that we're FINALLY making some headway with the monitoring of the Diamonds, but other than that it's just random nonsense. **

"Well… here it is." The tall, thin man said, eyes downcast. Matt looked in through the doorway. They were standing on the deck of a small boat. The two men from Mello's hideously unprofessional tech department stood on either side of him, silently awaiting his review of their work. "I don't suppose we could leave now?"

Matt smirked. The way these two looked at him was amusing. A mixture of fear and idolization, they hung on his every word regardless of the fact that most of his comments about their work were negative. Matt wasn't abusing this, however. He knew the men worshipped him and that anything he said could have a major effect on their self-confidence. Even still, the additions to this boat would need to be flawless.

"Stick around." Matt said. He knew they didn't really want to leave. "If I find something, I'll show you how to fix it. Hell, you might learn something."

The shorter one, Robert, smiled. "Let's get started then." He pushed the door further open and waltzed into the room, gesturing to the ceiling. "We put fisheye cameras in the ceiling and on the floor. Should give us an absolute view of the important parts of the room."

Matt nodded and continued to walk around the room, examining the furniture from a distance.

"There are 15 other cameras at differing angles spread about the rest of the boat, including the bathroom." Dominic said. He wasn't as personable as Robert, as if social situations intimidated him.

"I've already found three of your microphones." Matt said. "Granted I'm purposefully looking, but any trained eye would have detected them."

Dominic frowned, ashamed. Robert cocked an eyebrow. "So what do you suggest?" he asked.

"Be more creative with where you hide them." Matt said. He pointed to the ceiling. "The light fixture was too obvious for the fisheye. A central location is ideal, but that's just blatantly apparent."

Dominic scooted closer to Robert. "I told you so," he whispered, "but you never listen to me."

Matt ignored their comments and continued to survey the room. Aside from the ones he'd noticed, the cameras were concealed satisfactorily.

"We didn't have time to drill through the ceiling and install it, and then cover it all up." Robert whispered.

"We would have had time if you hadn't insisted on..well…"

"Oh?" Robert forgot to whisper. "So we're back to this, are we?"

Matt turned to watch them out of the corner of his eye. What were they arguing about?

Dominic frowned. "Look, this isn't the time. Let's just get this inspection over with so I can fix your mistakes."

"MY mistakes?" Robert exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "I did everything perfectly." Matt took a seat in an armchair beside a window, the inspection halted for the time being. "I seem to recall you being the one to break not one, not two, but THREE of our microphones."

"As if I could have saved them?" Dominic stood up straight for the first time, forcing Robert to look up at him. "If you hadn't been throwing yourself at me, I wouldn't have dropped them!"

"You act like I forced you to touch me!"

"You DID!"

Robert glared. "Funny, you seemed to enjoy it. We didn't even notice you'd dropped the mics until much later afterward."

"It was still your fault!"

Matt began to laugh. Both arguing men snapped their heads to face him, red coloring their cheeks.

"So…." Matt said between laughs. "You two broke valuable equipment….because you couldn't keep a grip on them…..because you were too busy…..fucking in Mello's boat?"

"W-What?" Dominic stuttered. "Where would you get that idea?"

"Yeah!" Robert said, backing away from Dominic. "He broke the mics because he's a clutz, not because we were..having sex..or anything."

"Besides," Dominic said, "he's straight. I mean, we're straight. We're both straight."

"Sure." Matt said, still laughing. This was too much to believe.

"I am!" Robert objected. "Dom here likes to float to that side, but not me! I love the bitches!"

Dominic looked pointedly at Robert. "Likes to float? Was I the one floating the other day?"

"Bitches!" Robert exclaimed. "I like the bitches! The females, femme, woman, lady, etc. I AM NOT GAY."

"Relax." Matt said. "I really don't give a shit if you two have sex or not. It's the mics I'm concerned about."

"He jumped me." Dominic said, pointing to Robert who was spinning in circles saying 'I love the bitches' over and over. "I was trying to work and he just came on to me. I couldn't resist it."

"I can see why." Matt said sarcastically. "He's the epitome of sex appeal."

Dominic blushed. "You..uh…you gonna tell Mello about us?"

Robert stopped spinning then and looked concerned.

"I'm sure Mello is perfectly comfortable with the two of you being together." Matt said smiling.

"How can you be sure?" Robert asked. "I mean, he's such a badass. He wouldn't like guys like us."

Dominic smiled. "Told you you're gay."

Robert glared at him. "We just don't want fired..or worse…because of it. How do you know he won't do that to us?"

"Hmm…" Matt said. "Affirmative action?"

"That's not funny." Dominic muttered. "It's not like we're worth keeping around anyway. This will just give everyone a reason to get rid of us."

"You're acting as if everyone already knows you two are together." Matt said. "They don't have to know."

"It's not easy to hide something this big from them." Robert said. "They'll find out."

"You can keep it a secret if you try hard enough." Matt said. "Not that you'd have to."

"How would you know?" Dominic asked.

Matt just smiled. "Just trust me. It'll be fine."

The three men kept silent, Robert finally breaking the silence with "Seriously. Bitches. Lots of them."

Dominic just smiled and shook his head and grabbed Robert's hand, holding it in his own.

"So." Matt said. "Shall we finish the inspection? The sale is going to be made in three days, we need to get a move on."

Alice stood in front of her mirror, naked from the waist up. Her stomach was swollen, growing larger by the day with Mello's baby. Or was it Matt's? Either way, there was a tiny person developing inside of her. She frowned. Her body would never be the same after this. She used to weigh 119 pounds, with large breasts and a flat stomach. Now her stomach was engorged past the reach of her bust, and, although her chest was growing as well, it only seemed to swell and sag. She felt odd, changing this drastically. It was like puberty, but the changes didn't help her develop. They just tore down the perfect body she'd spent years sculpting.

She looked at her cell phone. Nobody ever tried to text or call her anymore, with the exceptions of Mello or Matt. All her friends thought she had returned to her parent's house to recover from the break up. No one could know that she was involved with Mello; Matt had made that clear. But still, the loneliness crept up in her dreams. She still dreamt of Ron occasionally, and while she was certain she didn't miss being with her ex, she longed for companionship that neither Mello nor Matt could give her. Not that anyone would be interested in that kind of relationship with her for a long time.

Her body was huge now. She'd gained 15 pounds since she became pregnant, and most of that looked to have gone to her face and thighs. Her feet were big, her wrists were swollen constantly and she had the beginning of a double chin. She'd lived her whole life off of her looks, what would she have now? She never felt good enough to put make up on, or dress in anything other than sweats. It was only month two of the pregnancy, she was barely showing, but inside she felt beaten and defeated. Would any man ever find her attractive again?

There was a knock on her apartment door. Alice hurried to throw a shirt over her exposed torso and answered it, revealing a grinning Mello like she'd expected.

"Hey Mello." She said, trying to sound happy, or at the very least, comfortable.

"May I come in?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. She stepped back and let him walk through the doorway.

"Make yourself at home, as always." Alice muttered, walking to the kitchen. "Do you want a drink?"

"No thank you. I'm simply here to keep myself occupied." Mello said. "I hope you don't take offense to that, but Matt is busy with work and I needed someone to interact with lest I lose myself in worry."

Alice sat down on the couch beside him. "It's fine, I don't care. You're off today?"

"Yes, I figured I'd let Matt do his job without interfering. He's rather displeased when I try to micromanage in his department."

"He seems like that kind of guy." Alice was trying to seem interested in the conversation, but her mind was elsewhere. Mello was worried about Matt, big deal. Would anybody ever worry over her like this again?

"Yes, he's always been laid back except for when technology is involved. We are fluent in several languages, but his computer speak has always been foreign to me."

Alice just nodded.

"How did your day go yesterday?" Mello asked after they were silent for some time.

"Fine. We laid around the apartment and did nothing, like usual."

"Any interesting points of conversation?"

"He told me about when you two argued and he told you his real name."

Mello's face hardened. "I see. Did he happen to enlighten you as well?"

"If you're asking if he told me his name, the answer is no."

Mello nodded. "I see."

"It was sweet, though." Alice said. "The way you two made up."

"I suppose it did make me care for him more."

"Wish I had that…" Alice said.

Mello looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

"Nothing. It's just…." Her voice stopped.

"You can tell me Alice. I won't judge you for anything you choose to reveal to me."

Alice sighed. "Well…before I met you, I'd get complimented all the time. Men wanted me. Women hated me. I was beautiful."

"I see."

"And now…" her face clouded into a frustrated scowl and her eyes began to fill with tears. "when Matt and I go out, nobody even looks at me anymore. I don't feel like dressing up, my hair's always a mess…it's just so different."

"Have you ever considered that the reason people don't look at you is because they assume you're with Matt?"

"Guys hit on me all the time in front of Ron. I'm just not attractive anymore!" She started to cry then, burying her face in her hands and sobbing loudly. Mello looked confused. He knew he should comfort her, but it was such a trivial thing to be upset about. Still, he remembered when he'd get set off in a tantrum over miniscule things when he was younger and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're still very attractive, Alice." He said. "Beautiful even. You just don't see it."

Alice sobbed quietly and looked up at him. "You think so?"

"I promise. There's nothing more beautiful in the world to me than the woman that is carrying my child, regardless of my sexual orientation."

"You..think I'm beautiful?"

"Didn't I just say that?"

Alice sat up straight. Her face was red and streaked with salt from her tears, but she wasn't crying anymore. "This would mean a lot more if you were straight, you know…"

Mello smiled. "I understand. Just remember, when you're done you can go to Hawaii, or Egypt, or Japan..anywhere in the world. And when you get there, I can assure you you'll find a man that will think you're as beautiful as I do right now."

**Author's note:**

**Weeelp. That's what happens when I have free time. Nonsense chapters. Haha! Review if you want, but it's a bonus chapter so I don't expect you to. Chapter 15 will be up next Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on my schedule! Also, I'm loving you guys' ideas for the titles! Keep them coming, I'll make a decision after next chapter. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note: I'm so glad you all loved the bonus chapter! :D I love you all! **

**Some business:**

**I was greatly inspired by your readers' suggestions for the names, and have created a list for you all to choose from. For boys, we have the choices of Atticus, Alexander, or Seth. For girls, we have Marian, Allysin, or Natasha. You can vote for them in the reviews, or suggest more. We won't find out the gender until Alice has her 5 month check-up, so there's still time for me to make a decision. Ultimately, though, the baby's gender and name will be decided by me since I'll have to see how it fits into the story. **

**As for the title, you all gave very creative and helpful suggestions. I have decided to call the story "The Baby Bargain," unless you readers don't like it. Let me know in the reviews. If it is well-received, that shall be the name. If not, I'm open to more suggestion. **

**What's in this chapter, you ask? FILTH! LOTS OF IT! Well, at the end anyways. I'll let you know when things get a little too bad. **

**Chapter 15!**

That morning was the first day of a new month, the first day of month three of Alice's pregnancy. The farther along she became, the more over-protective Matt became. Mello was just as bad, but he made a point to give her enough space when she complained of being crowded. She visited Matt almost every day now, finding that living alone and having no one to talk to was boring. Occasionally, though, Matt would be so caught up in his games that he barely noticed Alice's presence, which made her visit consist less of comfortable discussion and more sitting awkwardly in Mello's recliner and staring at the ceiling. She knew she was welcome, but Matt had gotten so used to her being there that he didn't feel compelled to make her feel comfortable anymore.

Today was one of those days. Matt was sitting in the floor, a bowl of unfinished ramen beside him. A head set and microphone were crammed somewhat sloppily over his read hair, which, coupled with the bug lenses of his ever-present goggles, gave him the appearance of an orange and black insect hunched over a red laptop. He was barking military orders into the mic, trying unsuccessfully to overtake some enemy base in an online game. Alice watched with silent amusement as he raged into the headset, shouting curses and threats at his uncooperative teammates.

"You mother fucking shit bag!" He yelled. "How fucking hard is it to strafe? Are you a fucking retard?!"

His character moved behind a wall and pulled out a comically huge weapon, which he then aimed at a hovering helicopter. "Jesus Christ, you're all a bunch of faggots!" He was silent for a moment, as one of the other players responded to his last statements. Then he lost control. "You want to go, faggot?!" He shouted. Alice thought it odd that he used that term. He should take offense to that word no matter what the situation, but here he was, yelling it at random strangers over the internet. Then again, Matt didn't seem like the type to be offended by simple words. "You fucking moron, I told you to take out the helicopter while I got the general!" he paused for a response. "I was going to get that general! The only reason it took me so long to do it was because I was busy fucking your mom while you spawned." Pause... "You really think so, fuckface?! You think you can say that to me?! Do you know who I am?! Look at my achievements. Look at my armor. I'm a fucking beast, I am unbeatable! Take your newfag shit somewhere else, you're out of your league here! I'm jacked!"

Alice shook her head. He was genuinely upset. Over a video game. "Matt, I'm hungry."

"Jeevasaurus is AFK." He said, pausing the game. "Want some ramen?"

"No thanks. I'm not really hungry." Alice laughed. "Just wanted you to stop yelling at the computer."

"I wasn't yelling at the computer, I was yelling at my idiot teammates."

"It's just a game. You don't have to get so worked up over it."

"They can't follow directions!" He objected. "They should learn to listen to their captain, then they won't get yelled at!"

Alice shook her head again. "You need to calm down….I have an idea."

Mello watched the surveillance screen silently as his employee worked out the sale of the boat to the Diamonds. Their leader, Richard Corsantos, had come to buy the boat himself, it seemed. Mello had no doubt in his man's ability to sell the boat. Xavier was a skilled con artist, a literal expert at manipulating any conversation to turn his way. They would buy the boat. The real owner of the Santa Barbara docks was handling a complaint in his office. Mello had arranged for two more of his men to create a scene, giving Xavier enough time to make the sale and leave.

Xavier would make a joke, point out something interesting about the boat in question, and listen intently to Richard Corsantos' comment about it, repeating the cycle as they finished the tour of the vessel. Corsantos seemed oblivious to the hidden additions to the boat. Whatever the purpose for the purchase, Mello would have eyes and ears on every angle.

Corsantos smiled and nodded to everything Xavier said, completely ignorant of the fact that he was about to single-handedly invite enemy surveillance into his organization. Coupled with Matt's constant monitoring of their emails to Senator McAllan, Mello felt secure in their understanding of the Diamonds again.

Xavier said a few more words before Corsantos handed him a wad of rolled bills. They had priced the boat at $100,000, both to seem realistic in their offer and to judge how much money the Diamonds had at their disposal. Xavier counted it shortly, and handed the keys and papers to Corsantos to sign. After a few more minutes, the sale was complete. Mello motioned his hand to Dominic from the tech department, and the cameras and other devices were turned on. This operation was successful.

At home, Alice and Matt were having dinner. Mello rarely at after work, so Matt had taken to cooking for Alice so he could make sure the baby was well fed.

"I didn't know you could cook." Alice said.

"I took home economics in school. They taught me pretty good." Matt answered, spooning a side of corn onto Alice's plate. "I just don't usually do it unless it's a special occasion."

"Do you cook for Mello?"

"I have before. Anniversaries, birthdays, sickness, those kinds of things. Mello doesn't eat as much as me, and I'm usually satisfied with junk food anyway. We don't keep a lot of food in the house."

"So you're like the housewife?"

"Kinda, yeah. Especially when the baby comes. I'll be the stay at home mother. Odd, huh?"

"Not really. But I have to ask….why haven't you two gotten married? Why just go straight to baby?"

Matt laughed. "We may be gay, Alice, but we're still men. Men need their space. Men don't fantasize about love and plan their weddings at 6."

"So you're just going to be two guys with a baby."

"We wouldn't have it any other way."

Back in his office, Mello's thoughts turned to Matt. He'd been tired lately, even turning off his video games early and hopping into bed the same time as Mello. Once there, of course, he'd fall asleep. They hadn't been intimate in almost three weeks now, and while Mello wasn't angry at that, he was feeling a little physically frustrated. He smiled. Matt would be the same way, most likely, but Mello wasn't going to force anything. Matt would jump him when he felt like it, just like always. Until then, Mello would just be patient.

His patience failed him as soon as he walked into the living room after work. For some blessed reason, Matt was down on his hands and knees, head down and backside jutting out into the air. Weeks of need swelled up inside Mello. He sent a warning look to Alice, who recognized the meaning and took her leave almost instantly.

"See ya tomorrow Matt." She called, grabbing her jacket and heading out the door.

Matt was still in that position, but began to arch his back up towards the ceiling, then back down towards the floor. "See you later." He called out. "Hey Mello."

"Matt…." Mello said quietly, "kindly explain what it is you're doing."

Matt continued to stretch his spine up slowly. "Alice thought I had anger issues, so she showed me some yoga moves to calm down. It's actually kind of cool."

"I see.." Mello said. "Is it comfortable?"

"For the most part. Makes my back feel better after hunching over my computer all day."

Mello slowly moved toward him, clenching his fists. He had no control anymore. "You could always ask for a massage, love."

"I know. It hadn't occurred to me, honestly."

**Author's Note: It's about to get graphic. Even more so than last time. If you don't want to read, then watch this ** watch?v=itvJybdcYbI ** and ignore the next parts. They aren't important to the story anyway. **

Mello dropped to his knees directly behind Matt, whose head was still most of the way to the ground. He put his hands out to smooth over Matt's legs, gently grasping his calves in each hand and rubbing firmly. Matt stopped stretching and turned to look back at him, previously unaware of how close Mello actually was to his body. He cocked an eyebrow at Mello, who smirked darkly and raised both of his own.

"Lie down on your back." Mello said. Matt obeyed, turning over with a shudder and lying flat on the carpet of their living room.

"You're pretty tired, Mells." He said. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to." Mello mumbled. He began to snake his hands up Matt's legs, looping his thumbs in the hem of his shirt and tugging up. Matt complied, removing his striped tee and looking excitedly down at Mello, who was moving his hands over the muscles of Matt's stomach. Matt's torso twitched at the feel of Mello's palms travelling over him. He bit his lip gently as Mello's hands inched almost torturously slow toward his shoulders; Mello's face was suddenly directly above his own. Matt shuddered audibly as Mello's lips dragged over the line of his jaw, moving up to capture his own lips in a passionate kiss.

Mello sucked Matt's bottom lip into his mouth, running his tongue over the smoothness before returning it. Matt's lips slid open into a silent moan and he brought his own hands up to caress Mello's back through the thin leather of his vest. Mello plunged his tongue into Matt's mouth, twisting it around Matt's and exploring every space inside. He continued to ravage him this way until Matt pulled away, moaning and gasping for air.

"You don't taste like cigarettes anymore.." Mello growled against his neck. The stubble on his chin rubbed across Matt's skin and raised faint bumps of sensitivity. Matt rolled his head back to give Mello more room to continue. Mello bit softly under his jaw, barely grazing the skin with his teeth. Matt's response was another moan, his hands scrambling for the zipper on the front of Mello's vest. Once Mello's chest was bare, Matt slid his hands over the subtle hair. He palmed his pectoral muscle, massaging the small nipple there to a hardened peak. Mello smirked against Matt's skin and started to kiss a trail down his neck to his chest. Mello's hot breath on his skin made Matt shiver with need as Mello took one of his own nipples into his mouth and nipped it carefully with his teeth, before trailing his way even farther down Matt's torso.

He stopped suddenly, looking up at Matt. Matt's face was clouded with arousal. His eyes were heavy-lidded and his face was flushed red. His goggles still rested stubbornly on his face. Mello growled at him.

"Take them off." He said. Matt looked confused. Then clarity hit him and he hastily removed the offending eyewear. Mello smiled. Matt's eyes were always an unnaturally vibrant shade of green, and this moment was no exception. He would have taken more time to stare, but Matt raised his hips up into his chest and moaned, a single word escaping his lips as he rolled his head back against the carpet.

"Please…"

Mello gave into his pleading and unzipped Matt's black cargo pants, pulling them down to his ankles. He grasped the bulge of Matt's cock through his boxers, kissing the tip through the material. Matt whimpered and clenched his fists in expectation. Mello did not disappoint. He pulled Matt's boxers down with his teeth, then returned his mouth to Matt's member, which was practically demanding his immediate attention. Matt sat up, leaning over Mello's head and gripping his arms in his hands.

Mello took this small change in position in stride, moving his lips over Matt's length. Matt's fingers tightened around his arms. He closed his eyes and moaned as Mello took half of him inside his mouth. The warm wetness that enveloped him was enough make him beg for more. Matt opened his eyes and looked down at Mello, brushing the blonde hair from his face and tangling his fingers in it. Mello continued his ministrations, slowly teasing Matt's body into a taught fury. His head bobbed up and down, encasing Matt's cock fully before retreating. He drew out his movements, dragging his lips slowly over the length of it. Matt bit his lip and gripped Mello's arm tighter, trying to prolong the feelings.

He nearly lost his mind when Mello pulled him in completely, moaning in the back of his throat. The vibrations sent Matt to the edge. His breath got shorter and he panted. "Mello….fuck….I'm gonna.." he tried to warn.

Mello simply sped up his movements, sucking harder and pulling Matt in further, moaning with every inch that passed his lips. Matt's grip in his hair became painful. Mello could see the muscles of his stomach clenching. He moved even faster, pulling against the restraint of both of Matt's hands in his hair.

"Mello…Mihael…." Matt gasped. The end was inevitable. "I'm so close…finish with ..your hands or something…"

Mello ignored him and kept going, reaching up to tease Matt's nipple with one hand. Matt's whole body tensed as he spilled his load into Mello's mouth. He called out Mello's real name again, gasping and collapsing to the floor. Mello struggled to catch his own breath, lying down on his back beside Matt. Both lay there, panting and red-faced. Mello stood up after some time and helped Matt up. Matt's legs were still weak from his climax, so Mello scooped him up and carried him to their bedroom. He placed him on the bed and flipped off the light, removing his vest and pants as he walked back to a Matt-filled bed.

**Author's Note: I feel so dirty right now…. Need to cleanse my mind. KITTENS! PUPPIES! CHEESECAKE AND DONUTS! A YOUNG VASH THE STAMPEDE! …..okay, I should be good now. Haha reply? Please? **


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: None of you commented about the title change! None of you! So… POOF! This story is now called Baby Bargain. Magic. **

**This chapter has a time skip, because I want to get things rolling in this pregnancy! Let's go!**

**And this is technically chapter 16, but the site recognizes the bonus chapter as chapter 15, so I'm just going to go along with it. Chapter 17 it is!**

Mello listened intently to the conversation playing out over the speakers. It had been months since the Diamonds had bought their boat, and it seemed now that they were finally using it for something other than late night parties and drunken sex. The leader and a few other members were meeting with Senator McAllan, discussing, at 4 AM no less, the details of their extortion.

As Mello had suspected, McAllan had been photographed purchasing and utilizing the services of one of Corsantos' prostitutes. Blackmail was easy in this business, after all. From the sound of things, though, McAllan didn't seem particularly concerned about the photographs. Doubtless he was just tired of having to deal with the Diamond's ridiculous methods of operation. His responses seemed annoyed and even patronizing, not that Corsantos would notice. He fully believed he had the Senator under his thumb. The video feed revealed this as well. Richard Corsantos was sitting in a plush leather chair, an air of importance and overall contempt about himself. Nathan McAllan, rather than nervous or begging like most men in this situation would be, simply relaxed in his own chair opposite Corsantos and carried on a civil, yet irritated demeanor.

After another hour of pointless big-dogging on Corsantos' part, the meeting came to an end. McAllan gave the Diamonds a noticeably large sum of money to keep them silent, and scheduled another payment in a month. Mello began to formulate a plan to bring McAllan under their influence. They would meet with him after the second payment and work out a deal where Mello's organization paid his hush money while the Senator furthered their political agenda. Mello had been looking to purchase some property that lay on a county line, and needed someone higher up to get the permit to build there. He nodded to Robert, who cut the video and audio feed, then left for home.

Matt and Alice were on the couch, as always. Alice was reading like usual and Matt was hunched over his laptop, griping about some virus that he had accidentally restored to his computer.

"Seriously, why the fuck is that even an option?" He asked as Mello walked through the door.

Alice sighed and turned a page in her book. "I don't know, maybe so you can recover whatever was deleted with it?"

"Why the hell would I want to recover infected files? I can just replace them. This is retarded."

"Can't you fix it? You can do everything else…."

"I can. It's not a big deal. I'm just annoyed at the fact that I have to fix it again."

"It's your own fault. You clicked 'restore'."

"ACCIDENTALLY, Alice."

"Whatever."

Mello chuckled at Matt's growled response and sat in his recliner, turning to face them both. Alice's stomach had grown so much lately…how far along was she again? 4 months? No, 5. 5 months already, because they had the five-month appointment in a few days and Matt was going crazy over finding out the baby's gender.

Alice firmly believed it was a girl, but Matt still asserted that his superior genes would only produce strong, genius males fit to defend any stronghold and rescue any princess. Mello would be happy regardless, as would Matt, but he was just as excited to find out for sure. They'd all pondered over what the baby would look like. Would it be a short, freckled girl with long red curls, or a stout blonde boy with piercing blue eyes like Mello's? Would it be as smart as Mello and Matt were as children, or would genetics take a different turn and give them a perfectly normal child?

That night, after Alice had left and Mello lay beside Matt in bed, he continued to mull over these possibilities. Any one of them could be a reality. The biggest factor in all of them, whether it was a boy or a girl, would be revealed in only two days.

"Hey Mells," Matt murmured.

"Yes, love?"

"When the baby's here…are you gonna have him christened?"

"Christened? In the church?"

"Yeah. It's part of your religion isn't it?"

"My religion…" Mello said. "I haven't really thought about it, honestly. The church isn't exactly welcoming to new parents like us, Matt."

"You're one of the biggest donators to the church downtown. I'm sure if you hand them a baby, they'll practically mail it to heaven for you."

"I haven't attended Mass in over a year…."

"Why don't you call the priest and see?"

"They aren't going to do it. Regardless of my support, the Christian church, Protestant or Catholic, does not support homosexuality."

"So say Alice is your wife?"

Mello chuckled. "Are you suggesting I lie to the church just so they'll baptize my gay love child?"

"I just think that this will be important to you whether you realize it or not. Just call and see."

"You've never been interested in my faith before."

"I'm not saying I'm converting. But he's your son too, Mello. Or daughter. Whatever. When the time comes, he can make his own decisions about God or whatever. But you were christened most likely, why not our kid?"

Mello thought for a moment. He'd neglected his faith so much recently. It wasn't easy to live the life he lived and then beg for forgiveness on Sunday. He didn't even know if any amount of Hail Marys could erase all the black surrounding his job. He couldn't fully commit to a belief that refused to accept his love for Matt. But still, at the end of the day, Mello took ultimate comfort in his belief that someone was looking out for him, and even for Matt. They'd lived through too many dangers and life-threatening injuries for it all to just be luck. Why not have the baby christened?

"I'll see about it. If I have to, I'll claim Alice is my wife." Mello said. "This is surprising from you, Matty. An unapologetic atheist suggesting his baby be baptized and dedicated to Jesus…"

"It will make you happy." Matt said sleepily. "And what if you're right, and there is a God? There isn't, but still. If that happened, I'd prefer it if my kid was in good hands."

Mello chuckled. "You're going to attend the ceremony."

"Like I'd miss it?"

Two days later they sat in a hospital room as another nurse spread the ultrasound jelly on Alice's stomach. Memories of the last time they'd done this were still prevalent, and Mello was silently hoping….praying?...that nothing would be wrong this time. The machine whirred to life and two distinct heart beats were heard. Matt seemed to relax at the sound. Alice cringed at the feel of the wand on her stomach. The gel was cold and thick; she didn't like the way it felt at all.

Mello watched as the nurse moved the wand around, finally revealing a more defined image of the baby. They could see the head now, round and odd-shaped, with a tiny, almost indiscernible nose. A pair of hands or feet, they couldn't tell, where curled around each other.

"Alright Ms. Mcready." The nurse said. "Everything looks great. The baby's developing at a normal rate. The limbs are filling out nicely. Right now it's about 8 inches long, and weighs around a pound."

"Should we be concerned about anything?" Alice asked. "Are there any defects?"

"Everything checks out. You're carrying a perfectly healthy baby. Its ears are fully developed now; it can hear your voice. It will make facial expressions and also has adapted a sleep pattern. You'll start to feel it moving soon."

"It can hear us when we speak to it?" Matt asked, amazed. "Like, it will recognize that it's being spoken to?"

"The baby will naturally turn to face any sound loud enough for it to hear. It will also make facial expressions to respond to those noises in kind. If the noise is uncomfortable, it might scrunch its face up in displeasure. If the noise is pleasant or comforting, it will grimace or smile."

"So, the baby sleeps?" Alice asked.

"Yes. It sleeps for about 4-6 hours, then wakes up and eats, much like it will after birth."

"Should we do anything different?" Mello asked. "Health wise?"

"Alice should start taking walks. Not long ones, just two or three laps around a block is fine. This keeps the muscles in her abdomen exercised and prevents cramping. Also, the doctor will give you another prescription- some later term vitamins to keep everything on track. Aside from that, your weight gain is perfectly balanced with the growth of the baby and your blood work is fine."

Alice nodded. "Anything else?"

"Not that comes to mind. If you have any other questions, the doctor will be in soon to answer them. Now. Will we be finding out the gender today, or do you want it to be a surprise?"

Matt wheeled around to smile at Mello. Mello nodded and tried to remain calm. Alice chuckled.

"We'll be finding out today, if that's alright."

"Perfectly natural." The nurse said. She maneuvered the wand to rest against the lower part of Alice's stomach. All three of them stared at the display screen, trying to discern what they saw. "Aaand….there." The nurse said. "It's a boy."

**Author's note: It's a boy! Yay! Haha! **

**I hate to say this, but if you're wanting to rage/flame in a review over the parts about Mello's religion…..just don't. You can have your own opinion, but this is a family story- not a debate forum. If you're really offended, send me a PM about it. The story stays the same. **

**Anyway, IT'S A BOY! Review! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's note: I've started writing rather early this week, so if this chapter gets really long or just kind of rambles in places…sorry. I'm just excited. As you all know, last chapter Matt and Mello learned that they're having a baby boy! Oh my, what if it's stubborn like Mello?! **

**This is a disclaimer. Look at me, not owning these characters. Look at me. **

**Also, my friend Robert and I have been spit-balling ideas for how this story is going to end. I'm not going to say anything, but as of now….**

**There just might be a sequel. **

**Maybe.**

**But that's far off. **

**So for now, let's just see what's going on with Matt and Mello, hmm?**

**Chapter 18!**

Matt had objected immediately at the prospect of going walking with Alice. He fully supported her walking for the baby, but the California summer heat was intimidating to an air-conditioner spoiled indoorsman like himself.

"Come on!" Alice had said, tugging on his arm and trying to disrupt the gamer's focus on the screen. "It'll be good for the baby. Good for you, too, lazy."

Matt had simply continued to stare at the screen, mumbling something about the sun and red hair.

"As poorly as you eat," Alice said, "some exercise will be good for you. Eventually your metabolism is going to slow down and you will be fat."

"A very smart man once told me that you can burn off any amount of calories if you use your brain well enough." Matt said. "He's never been wrong about anything before. I think I'll stick with his advice."

"If that's the case I'm sure he's smart enough to have a balanced diet?" Alice asked, moving to stand between Matt and the television.

"Actually, he only ever eats sweet food." Matt moved to a different chair and looked past Alice to the screen, resuming his game.

"Sweet food?"

"Yeah." Matt said. "Cake, candy, doughnuts… you get the idea. I knew him for years, and never once saw him eat anything of substance."

"How old was he when he died?"

Matt looked at her pointedly. "He's still alive, Alice. In fact, he's throwing some kind of class reunion thing in December. Mello and I were invited. Still have no idea how the hell he found us, but he's a detective so I'm sure that had something to do with it."

"A detective that only eats sugar."

"Yep. He's got a ton of money, too."

"As much as Mello?" Alice asked.

"I don't know. Probably." Matt answered. He paused his game and pulled on his tennis shoes. "Guy solves crime cases for the world. Not a specific town, Alice, or even a specific country. If they can't solve it, a country calls him in and he'll figure it out in a week."

"So he's a genius too?" Alice asked once they'd walked outside. Matt took a worried look at the evening sun, which had not yet begun to set, and nodded.

"He's actually the reason Mello and I went to the same school. The administration in the orphanage kind of went on a genius roundup when L started taking on more dangerous cases."

"L?" Alice asked suddenly.

"Oh. Yeah." Matt said. "His name's L."

"Like really, or is it like your name's Matt but really isn't?"

"No clue. But the purpose of our orphanage was to educate the smartest children from across the world and groom them to be his successors."

Alice looked amazed. "The purpose of my high school was to have as few graduating students addicted to drugs or pregnant as possible."

Matt chuckled. "It was England. They kind of have higher standards there."

They turned the corner of the block for the first time, and Matt was already regretting leaving the apartment.

Mello had scheduled a meeting with Senator McAllan for that same night. Wanting to appear noticeably more professional than the Diamonds when it came to business, he personally invited the senator to the main building of the Russian Mafia. More specifically, Mello had invited him to his personal office, with only Marcus acting as guard as opposed to the entourage of men that Richie Corsantos had invited to his 'private' meeting with the senator.

Nathan McAllan wasn't sure of exactly why Mello had called him; he still didn't know what group Mello represented or what they wanted with him. When Marcus had escorted him into Mello's office, the politician's face was still painted with interest. After taking a moment to appreciate the décor in the room, mostly consisting of black and white impressionist artwork and sculptures, the senator faced Mello.

"This is a wonderful building you have, Mr… um.." he said, unsure of Mello's surname.

"Please call me Mr. Khovig, Senator." Mello said. "And thank you. We take pride in bringing culture and beauty to this area of the city."

McAllan looked around the room again. A dainty statue of a ballerina, either ceramic or pure-white granite, graced one column behind Mello; another column, the match to the pair, supported a lavish green hanging vine. The plant's tendrils trailed the whole length of the column's whitish grey marble and stopped just before the carpet. "I must admit, your offices are located in an odd part of the city. Such elegance stands out in the outskirts, especially amidst the gang activity. Tell me, does the graffiti take much of a toll on your business?"

Mello smirked. "Not as much of a toll as the artists would hope, I'm sure."

McAllan looked confused. "Do you mean to tell me that some of those murals on the walls are aimed toward your business?"

"Not directly." Mello said. "But they do try to intimidate us from time to time."

The senator looked shocked. "What have you done to earn their anger? Even being as unorganized as they are, a cultured man like you must fear an outer-city gang like the Diamonds."

Marcus stifled a laugh. Mello cocked an eyebrow. "What would you know about the Diamonds?" he asked the senator.

"Oh, nothing from first-hand experience." McAllan answered. "They've been causing a lot of trouble in some of the regions I represent, however. I'm working to bring them to justice."

"Justice?" Mello repeated. "You're working to bring them to justice."

"They represent an inherent desire to lead dangerous and unproductive lives, a desire that grows in the minds and hearts of every young person that comes into contact with their influence." McAllan said. "Every child that sees their proclamations of "Backstreet Royalty" might get the idea to join them. If I can bring their leader in, I can end the crime."

Mello's face remained calm even though the sheer ridiculousness of the Senator's obviously rehearsed statement threatened to amuse him. "And what particular crime do you want to end? I am aware that the Diamonds run narcotics for the city, but are there others?"

McAllan nodded. "They dabble here and there in arms deals. The police caught a few of their members in a prostitution bust about a year ago. They keep me informed of their actions."

"Particularly of the prostitution realm, I'm assuming?" Mello asked. His face had sobered. It was time to get to business.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean." The senator said.

"I think you know quite well what I mean, Mr. McAllan." Mello said. "Furthermore, I don't see how giving them $10,000. is going to bring them to justice."

The senator's face fell, then hardened. He suddenly looked much older than he had, as if the stress of this entire ordeal was rising up inside him again. "Who told you about that?"

"Do not question my methods of obtaining information, Mr. senator." Mello said. "Just know I represent a powerful…company…and it is in my company's best interest that the Diamonds stay broke and unorganized."

"Are you part of another faction?" McAllan asked.

"Do not ask questions you don't want answered." Mello said. "My organization and its business are of no concern to you."

"Then why did you call me up here? Do you want to blackmail me too?"

"Not quite." Mello said. "Instead, I want offer your support. I can have a man remove any evidence against you in a matter of hours. The Diamonds will have no leverage over you anymore, and you will no longer be giving them money, which is my main concern."

"How can you do this?"

"Very, very simply. As soon as I give the order, all proof of whatever indiscretion will be removed and destroyed."

McAllan sat silently for a minute, mulling over this information. "What do you want in return?"

"Simply for you to act as our political ally."

"Wouldn't a judge better serve your purposes?" McAllan asked sarcastically.

"You assume we are involved in illegal activites?"

"It's just a little hard to believe that a 'publishing company' brings in enough revenue for the affluence demonstrated in your offices."

Mello frowned. "Believe whatever you wish. Will you take my offer or not?"

"Act as your puppet in the Senate, pushing whatever legislation you support and I assume approving any that furthers your interests….and in return be free from this business with Richard Corsantos?

"As well as follow any orders you are given, approve building sales, financial matters, etc., yes."

"I feel as though I'd be trading one extortion for another."

"Extortion is a fool's strategy. We can help you with a problem, and in return you will repay your debt to us. It's a lot more legitimate and respectable than simple blackmail, Mr. senator." Mello said. He began to drum his fingers on the desk.

"I….alright." McAllan said. "I'll buy into this. But know this, Mr. 'Khovig', if a breath of this scandal with the Diamonds hits any news source, I'll have police in this building before you blink."

"Don't doubt my ability to deliver." Mello said. "I hope for your sake that I can trust in yours."

As Marcus escorted Senator McAllan from the building, Mello gathered his things and prepared to leave. With the temperature rising to almost unbearable heights because of the summer, Mello had started riding his motorcycle to work more often. Matt worried about this change, quoting traffic accident statistics whenever possible and protesting every time Mello opted not to call for a driver. But Mello had always been stubborn.

As he walked through the parking complex towards his motorcycle, Mello noticed he was being watched. Continuing to his bike, he slowed his pace and silenced his footsteps, trying to figure out where his observer was. Reaching his bike, he secured his brief case to the back and turned around, scanning the room for another person. A single employee of his, Colin Wentz, stepped from behind a support pillar and into the light.

"Wentz." Mello said, lowering his weapon. Collin Wentz had been hired when Mello sent out recruiters. He'd been a part of the organization for 3 months now. "I do not recall assigning you to guard duty."

"Sorry boss." The man said. "Ty's woman is sick or somethin', he asked me to come in for him."

Mello's brow lowered. "I was not aware of this. Any changes to the lineup is to be approved by me, do you understand?"

Wentz' face turned red. "Yeah, uh..that makes sense sir. I just…I uh.."

"I understand you're still new to protocol." Mello said. "It was Tyson's responsibility to tell me he wouldn't be here, also. But protocol is sometimes the only line between life and an accidental death. You will notice I had my weapon drawn."

"Sorry boss….I'll be sure to let you know next time." The man said. Mello nodded.

"Carry on then. Don't forget to write your report before you leave tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir."

Mello climbed on his motorcycle and left the building, finally returning home. Back in the parking complex, Tyson Davis exited the elevator. It had only been a quick break, 10 minutes at the most. Mello had already left, he noted, since his bike was gone. No harm in going to the bathroom, after all.

Matt had the air conditioner cranked up as high as it would allow when Mello got home. Alice had left already, the exertion from their earlier walk prompting a late-day nap that extended way into the night. Mello began to strip his clothes immediately upon entering the door, as there was no woman to offend with his nakedness.

"Fuck Mells." Matt said from the floor. "We've been living here for how many years, and the summers are still hot as balls." Matt was equally unclothed, a simple pair of shorts being his only adornment. Mello tossed his clothes to the laundry room and pulled on a pair of light house pants.

"We were raised in England." Mello said. "The weather there is notably cooler than California, love."

Matt turned his game off and sat beside Mello on the couch. "Still think we'd get used to it."

"Also, I'm Russian. Evolution has prepared me to deal with all kinds of cold. This heat is throwing my system into hysterics."

"I don't doubt it." Matt said. "Alice and I went walking today."

"How'd that go over?"

"Awful. It was hot, and all these women were there. Have you seen the way women dress? It's shameful."

"I'm sure the heat is the reason they bare so much skin."

"I'm sure it's because they're nasty skank whores. Some women are disgusting."

"Men can be equally disgusting."

Matt thought about that for a minute. "…..Am I disgusting?"

Mello laughed. "What kind of question is that?"

"I don't know. But I am kinda lazy….and sloppy…and dirty…"

Mello pulled Matt into a hug. "You're absolutely fucking perfect, Matty."

Matt smiled and lay his head against Mello's chest. "You think so?"

Mello reached up and pulled the goggles off Matt's eyes, turning the redhead's chin up to look into them. "Well, now you are."

Matt smiled and raised his chin further for a kiss. Mello happily obliged, planting a long, sweet peck onto the other man's lips.

"I love you, Mello." Matt said after. "I really do."

"I know you do Matty." Mello's voice had dropped low. "I love you too."

"I think I always have." Matt murmured. "Remember the first day we met? When Roger said we'd be roommates? And you threw a fit? I knew, even when we were really young, that I'd be the only one to put up with your tantrums. And probably the only one to ever really understand why you threw them."

Mello brushed a tendril of red hair from Matt's face, stroking his cheek with a coarse thumb. "Life would have been hard if you weren't there, Matt. I needed you."

Matt smiled lazily. "I love you even more now though."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Matt yawned. "I love how you worry about me constantly, and how you do your best to keep me happy, even though the fact that you breathe is enough. I love how blue your eyes get when you're angry…how your voice drops so damn low when we're making love….the way you sound when you speak Russian….I love how you're not too much of a man to cuddle me…."

"That's a rather extensive list, Matty." Mello said into Matt's hair.

"I love how you spoil me….I love how you can intimidate any person you meet…how you can kill another man so easily if it's necessary, but then come home and cry at the end of a movie…" Matt laughed. "I love how you try to hide the fact that you're crying from me….and how you pray every now and then, when you think I'm asleep."

Mello ran his fingers lazily up and down Matt's spine. "You cried at the end of that movie too."

Matt just laughed. "Just think babe…in a few months, we'll be doing this same thing, but we'll have a tiny you cuddled between us."

"Or a tiny you." Mello answered. "A baby boy."

"I've been thinking about names."

"Any ideas for a good one?"

Matt yawned again, stretching his arm across Mello's chest and burrowing his face into Mello's neck. "I was thinking Kyle."

"Kyle…"

"It sounds like Keehl in a way."

"It does. I like it. Have you talked to Alice about it?"

"She thinks it's nice. Doesn't think it's too special though."

Mello yawned himself. It was almost 11:00. "I really like that name, Matty."

"Should we write it on the list of possibilities?"

"Yes. We definitely should."

The two were silent for a bit. Mello began to drift to sleep, laying his head back against the arm of the couch.

"Hey Mells?" Matt asked suddenly.

"Yeah love?"

"Do we know anything about raising children?"

"…I don't believe we do."

"Wonderful."

**Author's note: Oooh! Some scandal up there in the middle! Don't forget to review! We're at 92, I can't wait to break 100! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, your support is what drives me to keep writing. And if you follow the story but don't review, I appreciate you too. Review and let me know what you thought! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: 100 Reviews! We broke 100, guys! NYAAAA!~ I love all of you. Without your reviews, I would not be as motivated to write as I am. Seriously, it's amazing how far we've come in such a short time. So, as my gift to all of you readers, I give you the gift of three days' worth of typing. **

**Aww yiss, an extra-long chapter. **

**Moshi Moshi Disclaimer Desu!**

**I actually pried myself away from 4chan early to work on this, so let's hope it's good, hmm? :)**

Alice was pleased to enter the cool air of the shopping mall. The heat outside was more than she could handle, especially having to haul her oversized stomach around with every step. The extra effort that simple walking created was exhausting. Her hormones were going crazy as well, but the last fiasco in Matt's bedroom forced her to keep her urges in check. Matt was leaning against the window of one of the indoor stores, panting and wiping the sweat from his brow. He had stubbornly worn long sleeves to prevent sunburn, only now realizing why sunscreen and short sleeves would have been more comfortable.

"Jeez, Alice," he said, fanning himself with a crumpled flyer he'd torn from the window. "Do you even listen when I suggest we stay inside?"

"We can't stay cooped up all day long." She replied, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. Even small things like these were becoming laborious to maneuver. "Besides, we're having a boy. You need to buy it clothes and toys and stuff. That's why we're here."

"I can do all that over the internet." he stood up straight, finally recovering from the minor heat stroke he swore he was having. "Let's go home now, and I'm calling a cab."

Alice grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the window, dragging him down the corridor of the mall. Mini stores surrounded them, boasting signs for sales and smelling of strong perfumes or colognes, depending on the target consumer demographic. Alice eyed every one longingly, aching for a shopping spree. Matt had adjusted to the cooler temperature of indoors, and was walking normally beside her.

The first store they actually entered was a baby toy store. The walls were lined with a gaudy zoo themed wall paper, and every shelf was stuffed with toys. Matt's eyes widened beneath his goggles. His curiosity overwhelmed him, and soon Alice was forced to watch as he inspected and tampered with every interactive device in the store. After a few seconds of prodding and button-pushing, he'd return whatever toy he was fondling to its shelf and pick up another one.

"Matt." Alice said, annoyed. "What are you doing?"

"These toys are all ridiculously unchallenging." He said. In his hands was a model barnyard toy, complete with animatronic cows and a spinning sun behind a chicken coop. When pressed, different buttons would activate different animal sounds and play an instrumental version of "Old MacDonald had a Farm."

"What do you mean?"

"My child is likely going to be _well_ above average. He'll come out of the womb knowing what sound a fucking chicken makes. Where are the toys that teach remedial Latin?"

Alice laughed. "I don't think they make those. Let's just find some nice, stuffed toys to sit in the crib with him."

"Kyle deserves the best. No fluffed sheep toy is going to be acceptable. This is going to take all day."

After spending hours in the mall and visiting dozens of stores, they stopped for a lunch break in the food court. Matt was amazed at how many food choices there were, while Alice was disgusted at the sheer unhealthiness of it all. Every option was either deep-fried, drizzled in sugar, or both. Even the items from the grille were dripping in grease and butter.

"We really shouldn't eat any of this." She said. Matt was already ordering hot wings and fried cheese balls. She sighed and ordered a salad, hoping the deli didn't bread and fry their lettuce as well.

Matt wanted to stop by the video game store, like they usually did when they went shopping, to see if they had any vintage consoles for Kyle the baby to use. While he scanned the shelves and display cases, Alice stood in a corner and waited.

An hour passed. Matt had created conflicts with not one, but two different employees in the store. He was deeply upset that neither the cashier nor the manager could help him find what he was looking for. When one suggested a Playstation 2 as a vintage console, Matt nearly lost his temper. He firmly asserted that he was looking for a Sega Genesis or a Nintendo 64, then insulted both of the men's' intelligence. Then he accused him of being fake gamers, and thus unfit to work in such an important store.

Alice watched calmly from the front of the store, pretending not to be associated with the madman causing a scene. She lowered her gaze to the floor and pretended to send a text message. When she looked up again, Matt had finished his rant and had begun inspecting two different boxes that an employee had handed him. She browsed the room, her eyes finally resting on a familiar body. Standing in the corner opposite her own and staring directly at her, was her ex-boyfriend Ron.

She looked away quickly, but they'd already made eye contact. What was she supposed to do? He was staring at her stomach now, a confused look on his face. She frowned. Should she go talk to him? Catch up? Have Matt punch him for leaving her to face the wrath of that gang?

She risked a fleeting glance from the corner of her eye to his location. He was walking towards her now. She looked to Matt for help, but he was totally engrossed in the decision he was making. Ron was close enough for her to smell his overpowering body spray. Alice sighed and looked up, feigning surprise at the sight of her ex.

"…Ron?" She asked.

"Alice!" He smiled. "Haven't seen you in, like, half a year."

Her eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Last time we talked was right before you took off."

He straightened his shirt, a wrinkled black button-up with the collar popped. "Oh yeah. Sorry 'bout that, baby. I had some business to handle. You know how I is."

Her scowl deepened. Where was Matt when she needed him? "Business. Funny. I had to take care of some of your business myself."

He looked away, then smiled again. "So, uh, that my kid or what?"

"Excuse me?"

"You look like you're gonna pop. It ain't mine, is it?"

"Not even slightly." A deeper voice said. Ron's eyes widened as Matt stepped beside Alice and put his arm around her. Alice smiled, then went stiff as Matt planted a long, open mouth kiss on her shocked lips. "This guy giving you some trouble, babe?"

"Matt!" Alice said. She did her best to play along with the act, still reeling from what had just happened. Matt just stood there predatorily, his arm still around her. "This…uhh…is my ex-boyfriend Ron. Ron, this is Matt. He's the father of my child."

Ron said nothing for some time, simply standing there and staring at Matt. He looked confused, but pushed it away quickly. "So you're the one that's been tapping my old bitch, eh?"

Matt glared at him. Ron looked away, then put his hands in his pockets.

"So, uh, I gotta get goin'." He said. "Nice seein' ya, Alice." He walked hurriedly out the open door, glancing back only once.

"Uh huh." Alice said. Matt removed his hand and cocked an eyebrow.

"So that's the douchebag you used to be with."

"Uh huh." Alice stared straight ahead, her gaze out of focus. Matt had kissed her.

"Well, come on." Matt said. "We're almost done here."

"Uh huh." She mumbled, following silently.

Mello took the package Marcus handed him and smirked. Less than three hours after telling Pierce to retrieve whatever the Diamonds had on Senator McAllan, the documents were in his hands. Mello made a mental note to give Pierce another raise, and filed the images in his desk.

"Marcus." He said.

"Yeah boss?"

"Call Senator McAllan. Arrange a meeting for some time next week, whenever is free."

"Alright I got it. Anything else?"

"Tell him we did our part. He'll get the message."

Mello left after Marcus, taking the elevator in the hallway to the floor below him. The tech department had its own floor, even though it was only occupied by two men, Robert and Dominic. The least used department in Mello's organization, Rob and Dom were paid to stay on call 24/7 and handle any technological issues Mello found. With such demanding hours, the two had modified their floor to their own specifications.

Upper floors had cubicles, office spaces and desks. The tech department had redesigned the entire 5th floor into a makeshift apartment, including couches and televisions. The interior walls had been removed, leaving only a single, huge room for them to work in. Mello had no objection to their alterations, providing they did their jobs. The room was always kept dark, however. Mello had noticed that people who work with computers preferred darker rooms. Matt rarely turned lights on in their own apartment.

His eyes scanned the computer-lined walls, searching for the two scrawny men that were somewhere on this floor. Apparently they hadn't heard him enter, because they hadn't rushed to greet him like usual. Finally he found them. The illumination from a table of computers was shining on one of the couches, where the two men were busy tearing at each other's clothes. Mello blinked, unsure of what he was seeing, then cleared his throat loudly. He was still a good distance away.

One of them rose up, peering into the darkness. It was Dominic. Robert was beneath him, something Mello found humorous. The more assertive of the two was bottom? Interesting. He cleared his throat again and called out "Dom?" to their general direction, watching as the two men scrambled to redress and act natural.

"Uh, yeah boss?"

Mello slowly advanced toward their location, taking his time as Robert fumbled to get his pants back on. "I can never see anything in here." Mello said, smiling. "Where are you guys?"

Dominic stood, adjusting his clothes. "We're right here." he said. Robert stood up as well. "We were, uh, taking a break from surveillance on the boat."

"Oh? I hadn't issued surveillance on the boat." Mello said. "In fact, that's what I came down here to do."

"M-Marcus told us you'd probably want it." Robert stuttered.

"Oh really?" Mello said. "Is that so."

Dominic sighed. "We're fired, aren't we?"

Mello laughed out loud. Both men were startled at this sudden emotion. Neither of them had ever seen Mello laugh. "Not quite." Mello said. "Although I would prefer that you save your private business for times when you aren't working."

"It's just..we sleep here usually, and.." Robert said.

"I understand that." Mello said. "However, I pay you to work- not to fuck."

Dominic looked dejectedly to the floor. "So if we aren't fired…then what?"

"I'm going to cut your pay for the next month. Don't let this happen again, do you understand?"

"Thank you so much sir… Matt said you'd be forgiving if you found out." Dominic said.

"Matt?" Mello asked.

"Yeah, your friend Matt. He figured out that we were together when he inspected the boat."

"I see."

"So uh, did you want us to do something?" Robert asked.

"Yes. Resume surveillance of the boat we sold to the Diamonds. Inform me of any activities besides partying and drunkenness. Also, keep a log of every hour that passes."

"Alright, we'll get on that." Dominic said. Mello left, still smiling at the thought of another gay couple in the Mafia. It was Los Angeles, after all.

"I kissed Alice today." Matt said. He lay beside Mello, the covers pushed to the foot of the bed.

"What?" Mello asked, turning to look at him.

Matt yawned. "Yep. Her ex-boyfriend showed up at the mall. Asked her if the baby was his."

"That's not even mathematically possible."

"I know. But he kept giving her looks…I had to step in. Acted like I was her boyfriend."

"Ah. What did he do when you kissed her?"

"He took off pretty quick after I showed up. I didn't like the look of him, babe."

"What makes you say that?"

"He was a douchebag. Spikey black hair, a mangy goatee and practically dripping Axe spray. Fake tan, baggy shorts. I could see his boxers, they were sagging so low. Wrap all that in an Affliction tee shirt and an over-shirt with a popped collar, you got Alice's ex."

"Did she look like she missed being with him?" Mello asked. He rolled onto his side, grabbing the remote for the air conditioner and lowering the temperature again.

"Nah. Should have seen her face when I kissed her though. I got skills, babe."

Mello laughed. "I am aware. I can imagine that she was caught off guard by the kiss."

"Or awestruck. She didn't say much until we were leaving."

"I'm sure she's thankful that you stopped the harassment." Mello yawned. "Now let's sleep, I'm exhausted."

"'Kay." Mat said.

"Oh yeah." Mello said suddenly. "Guess what I walked in on when I visited the fifth floor today?"

"That's tech, isn't it?" Matt asked.

"Yes."

"Hmm…..Rob and Dom doing something stupid, I'm assuming."

"Having sex on the job."

"Shame on them." Matt said. "How dare they fool around at work."

"They said you knew about their relationship."

"Found out on the boat."

"That's what they told me."

"Hmm.." Matt sighed. "'Course, you can't be too hard on them. I remember times when I'd come visit you at work. We'd go into your office for a 'private' meeting, draw the blinds and curtains over the glass walls and have an intense conversation on your desk."

"That's different."

Matt laughed. "How is it different?"

"I'm the boss."

Two days later, Mello met again with Nathan McAllan.

"I can't believe you actually did it." The man said.

"I told you not to doubt me." Mello answered. He had watched McAllan inform the Diamonds that he wasn't going to pay them anymore from the cameras on the boat. Their reaction was as expected. "Have you had any further contact with them?"

"Not directly." The Senator replied. "They're demanding to know who helped me."

Mello's eyes narrowed. "What did you tell them?"

"I said I had my own agent get the pictures. They didn't believe me, but I gave them no reason to suspect you or your organization."

"Excellent." Mello said. "I want to be informed of any future relations with them, understand?"

"I suppose." McAllan said. "I don't know why you're doing this, but thank you for your help."

"You'll be of some use to me eventually." Mello buzzed for Marcus, who entered shortly. "You are now dismissed. Marcus, escort Senator McAllan to his vehicle, please."

Marcus nodded, turning after the Senator left and closing the door. Mello glanced at the calendar on his wall. It was almost September. 5 months ago, he'd made a decision that altered everything. His concerns weren't just Matt and himself anymore; he had to worry about keeping Alice and the baby safe. Whenever the stress started crashing into him, he'd watch Matt read to Kyle through Alice's stomach and remember why he made that decision to begin with. Just a few more months, and he'd have a family.

The priest had agreed to christen the baby. Mello hadn't even had to coerce him. A week after Kyle was born, he would be devoted to God and blessed with his protection. Mello smiled. Religion had been such a strong factor in his early life. Before Wammys, when he was in a Russian orphanage. Such life-shaping decisions like religion were better made later in life, but when you're raised on something from birth, even after moving away from its influence, you tend to stick to your convictions. At least, most of them.

The month of September passed with little activity. Mello had expected an outraged reaction from the Diamonds, but McAllan hadn't reported anything. Things had quieted down at work. Mello was content to let his men take a break from the criminal life and enjoy the accumulated wealth. Several had even taken holidays. Matt and Alice had gone shopping a few more times. Their current project was decorating the nursery. Since they were having a boy, the walls of an extra room adjacent to the bedroom had been painted blue. Matt had hired professionals to paint it in the style of a Super Mario Bros. level, complete with platforms and pipes. A crib and a changing table had been installed, and a closet was already stocked with baby clothes. The only thing absent now was Kyle himself.

By the beginning of October, Matt was planning the trip to England. He was concerned about the schedule at first. The meeting was December 30th; Alice's due date was December 13th. Luckily, however, L had taken on a tough case and the meeting had been rescheduled for November 29th. L would be in England that week to meet with Parliament, and would be leaving for India afterward. This new date was more convenient for everyone attending. Matt's only worry was Alice.

He was hesitant to leave her in the store alone, how would he leave her alone in America? She was too pregnant to travel, of course. But with both Mello and him in England, no amount of body guards would be enough to calm his nerves. Alice had already objected to being monitored via webcam and promised to call every night after they'd landed. She insisted she'd be fine alone, but Matt was paranoid something would happen.

Missing the conference wasn't an option, however. When L called, you didn't ignore it. They'd been taught to idolize him since they were children. In a way, they still did. Joining his detective force was as close to Mello's childhood dream as he'd ever get. Matt had never wanted to be a detective, but was growing tired of being unproductive every day. If Near or Mello needed something hacked, he might as well do it for them, even if he would be raising a baby soon. They were both looking forward to the conference. Things had slowed down with Mello's job, as well. For the first time in months, Matt felt confident that nothing bad was going to happen. They'd fly to England, spend a week, come back as soon as they were finished and wait patiently for Alice to have the baby. All would be perfect.

After weeks of silence, Mello finally received a report from Senator McAllan. The message was short, stating simply that the Diamonds had resumed pestering him about who stole their leverage. McAllan stressed, however, that they had made threats on his life through emails and late night phone calls. He wasn't confident in the protection Mello had given him, and requested that more guards be sent. Mello had expected this. What he wasn't prepared for was the last bit of information in the email. Senator McAllan said that the Diamonds had changed leaders. Mouthy Richard Corsantos no longer made personal calls to him; it was a new man who hadn't revealed his identity.

Mello frowned. It wasn't something to be terribly concerned about. Regimes changed leaders occasionally. Corsantos had probably been ousted and replaced with a new, equally ridiculous leader. But still, the sudden revamped interest in McAllan was unsettling. Losing one political asset wasn't a crippling injury to organized crime. Any remaining problems had to be personal. Mello wasn't the type to risk lives or make threats for personal matters, but these were the Diamonds. He suspected that the shame and anger of losing someone as important as McAllan had the whole gang upset. That would explain Corsantos being removed. It would also explain the dramatic spike in severity of the threats to McAllan.

Mello would send backup to McAllan's house. If he were to die, both the Diamonds and the Imperii could be thrown into the spotlight. Electronic communication could be traced, after all. After such a lull in activity, it seemed Mello would finally have something to occupy his mind other than Matt and the baby.

Ron Gibson scowled in the poorly lit room. What was Alice doing with that man? The irony of the situation amazed him. His ex-girlfriend was involved with his target. Poetic justice, perhaps? The door creaked open, casting more light onto the floor. Collin Wentz entered, eyes downcast. The entirety of the Diamonds had mixed reactions about Ron taking over, but nobody dared question the new leader. He was young, and usually immature. Nobody had expected him to suddenly overthrow Corsantos. But immediately after seizing power, Wentz and the others began to realize that Ron Gibson, regardless of how he dressed or spoke, could be cruel and insane when he deemed it necessary.

"Sorry I'm late boss." Wentz said.

"Take a seat."

Collin obliged, sliding into a worn wooden armchair on the opposite side of the table. "I got some stuff on Mello."

Gibson nodded. "Fill me in, then?"

"He's got bugs in our boat. Turns out the whole sale was an espionage plan of his."

"That would explain him knowing of the Senator then."

"Yeah. He's not doing much now. The whole organization's kind of relaxed. Security's still tight, but the soldiers haven't been given any jobs in months."

"Why not?"

"Mello's taking a trip soon. A week or two off, I'm not sure where. He don't want to have anything going on back here while he's away."

"That's just too bad, huh?" Ron laughed. "When's he leaving?"

"November. The end of the month. I'll know exact dates soon, because he'll give advance orders to everyone."

"Keep me posted. As soon as he leaves, we'll act. Anything else?"

"Yeah. He gets a lot of calls from his friend. Some guy that does freelance computer shit; calls him twice a day sometimes."

"Seems like a heavily invested friend."

"I honestly think they might be more than that."

"Interesting. Have you seen him?"

"Only once. Mello called for a driver to pick him up. I was in the parking complex working guard, car pulled up. They didn't see me. His friend and a woman were in the car with him as they left."

"A woman?"

"Yeah, some blonde chick. Only caught a glimpse when Mello opened the door. His friend's got red hair. He was wearing these stupid glasses things too. I'm not sure what they're for."

Ron's brow furrowed. "Collin…do you know the name of Mello's redheaded friend?"

Collin sighed. "Tech's always talking about him, let's see….It's like Mark or Mike or something."

"Matt?"

"Yeah, probably. I think so." Collin said.

"And you're sure the woman was blonde?"

"Yeah. Bright blonde. Pretty hot piece of ass, from what I saw."

Ron smiled. It all made sense now. The man who had broken into the pharmacy was Matt. He'd been tailing Matt the day he'd ran into Alice in the mall. Somehow, Alice was connected to Matt, and Matt was connected to Mello. So to get to Mello, all he really needed to do was get to Alice. He laughed. It wouldn't be easy. But November was almost here, and he had surprise on his side.

"Get me as much information about Matt and Mello's relationship as you can." He told Collin. "If they're queer for each other, I definitely want to know. We've found our way in."

**Author's Note: Special thanks to Cerca39, whose suggestion of naming the baby Kale led to Kyle. Review! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Nothin' to say! Chapter 20!**

Another month passed. Mello hadn't been back to his office in weeks, and the whole organization was free to do whatever. He'd simply stopped going in, choosing instead to stay home with Matt and Alice and watch their baby grow inside her. Halloween came and went uneventfully. Finally, it was time for the two men to travel to England.

Alice watched them board the plane with mixed emotions. She was relieved to finally have some time to herself, but knowing that she'd be alone for a week made her a little sad. Hormones or not, she had grown attached to both of them. If seeing them leave for a short period of time felt this bad, how would she leave after Kyle was born? The plane slid down the runway and took off. Alice nodded to the driver behind the wheel of a huge black SUV, returning home. She would be staying in their apartment until they returned. Her two body guards would camp in the living room. Mello had finally declared that, after months of silence from his mafia activities, Alice would be safe with just two guards.

Matt stared at the ground through the window of the plane until well after they'd taken off. Alice's car had disappeared almost immediately, and buildings began to resemble toy models. Before long, only patches of land and blocks of neighborhoods could be discerned. The pilot announced that they had reached their target altitude and that they were now free to move around. Matt relaxed in his seat and crossed his legs, still worried about Alice.

"We could have taken a jet, you know." He told Mello. "It'd take half the time to get there. We could be back sooner."

"Regardless of when we arrive in England," Mello answered, turning a page in a magazine, "we still won't leave until the meeting is over. Getting their earlier won't make us come home earlier."

"Still….." Matt said, "imagine the look on Near's face if we showed up in a jet right outside Wammy's. Classy as fuck."

Mello chuckled. "I thought I used to be the one obsessed with being better than him?"

"He used to be your arch nemesis, babe. Even if you don't care anymore, some things never die."

Mello sighed and closed his magazine. "I'm not sure how this is going to go, honestly."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought we'd put this life behind us, you know? We're part of a different world now, with different responsibilities. How can I commit my life to another organization? Especially a police force, tailored to bringing justice and the law to other organizations like the one I'm currently heading?"

"L and Roger know what you do for a living. If that was going to be an issue, I'm sure they would have mentioned it."

"I'm talking about internal conflict, babe."

"Ah well," Matt said. "You'll figure it out. If you have to, just quit this force and I'll be a detective."

"You never wanted to be a detective, Matty."

"Actually, I never wanted to be L. But a kick-ass, rich detective sounds pretty cool."

Their plane landed in New York on time, but the second flight to England was delayed for three hours. Matt was freaking out as soon as the rain hit, calling Alice instantly to let her know what was going on. She assured him that nothing had happened to her, and that aside from burning a tray of cookies, the evening had been uneventful. Mello's patience ran out after the second hour of waiting. He and Matt made a quick stop at the airport's bar to calm his anger. They boarded their second flight at 5 pm, Matt exhausted from worry and jet lag and Mello tipsy from vodka. That flight arrived just shy of schedule, but at 6 AM the next day, Mello confirmed their reservations at the hotel and they both crashed in the bed.

They slept for 10 solid hours, the long flight wearing on their psyche. They woke up for dinner once, then returned to bed. The meeting was scheduled for the next day.

Back home, Alice was bored. She'd tried to converse with the two guards Mello had sent, but they had little to say. She'd suggested they play a board game or something to pass the time, but after three minutes of Scrabble, one of her guards, Pierce, had went out for a smoke break and the game came to an abrupt halt. It was only noon, and she'd already worn herself out. She decided the best use of her time would be to nap. She sent a quick text to Matt telling him not to interrupt her and left the two men in the living room. Just as she closed her eyes, her phone vibrated. Expecting Matt's reply, she opened it to find that the message was sent from the last person she'd expected to text her- Ron.

Wammy's hadn't changed in the years of their absence. The same massive, ornate hallways, with long corridors and arched ceilings. The same echo of footsteps taken from far off, their sounds filling hallways the walker hadn't yet reached. And, of course, the same uneasy atmosphere that had become a permanent characteristic of the orphanage. Matt and Mello walked the marble floors to Roger's office. The greeter at the gate had recognized them immediately, and informed them that Roger was having everyone report there before the meeting actually started. The children must have been on a field trip or something, because the halls and rooms were empty save the cleaning crews.

They hadn't been here in years, but the path to Roger's office was a familiar walk for them. Memories of begrudgingly walking these same steps, heading for a punishment for any kind of bad behavior, flittered through both men's minds. The time when Matt got caught hacking into the school's grade system to change his average. When Mello got into a fist fight with two other students. When they'd both made fun of a teacher for not being as smart as they were, or when they'd bullied the younger grade students into being their slaves. Mello couldn't help but smile. His entire childhood had been comprised of different trips to Roger's office, and now he was going willingly.

When they reached the thick wooden doors of Roger's office, Mello hesitated. Matt noticed his anxiousness and grasped his hand, rubbing his thumb over the other man's palm.

"You alright babe?" Matt asked, looking up at Mello through the orange tint of his goggles.

Mello frowned. "Yeah… Just never expected to be back here, you know?"

"It is kind of weird." Matt said. He looked down at the doorknob. "But this might be a great thing. An opportunity for us to get away from all the shit we've gotten used to."

"A life as a detective is no less dangerous than a life as a mob boss..or his lover." Mello muttered. "You know how hard I've tried to keep you safe, Matty."

"I know, babe. But it's not just the mafia, either. Before you were boss, when we were roughing it just to eat…the week we spent on the streets...all of that. It's time to put all of that behind us and focus on something new."

Mello smiled. "Something new, like Kyle?"

"Not just Kyle Mells, but us. We can have a new life this way, maybe?"

"You know I can't just abandon my organization, love. Getting out isn't easy; they'll always find a way to pull you back in."

Matt frowned and looked away. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"But," Mello said, "if I ever get the chance to walk away you know I will." He kissed Matt gently on the forehead before turning the doorknob and opening a room he'd long been familiar with.

**(Author's Note: An asterisk (*) denotes a text message. ~RG~ is Ron Gibson's text signature. Do people still use those? Anyway…)**

*Heyy ;) ~RG~*

Alice frowned. What the hell did Ron want?

*Hi.*

Why did she text back? Was she stupid? Maybe he wouldn't reply, like he'd messaged the wrong number or something.

*how is u? ~RG~*

Ugh. Why does he care? Still, she liked the thought of rubbing her façade of a relationship with Matt in his face. She might as well reply and see what he wanted.

*Still very pregnant. Why?*

*jw. been thinking about u*

*That's nice.*

*doin anything special tonite? :P*

*Not really. I was going to take a nap before you texted me.*

*ohhh….well ima let u get to that then*

*Alright, whatever.*

*sweet dreamz baby*

A block away from the apartment complex, Ron Gibson sat in his secondhand El Camino. With a quick nod to his men, they left the vehicle and made their way slowly up the street. Ten minutes later and they were poised to kick down the door. He had expected Mello to leave guards for Alice, but his force of 6 men including him would surely overpower any protection she had.

Alice was lounging in Mello's bed, listening to music when she heard the door slam. She didn't think anything amiss until she heard one of her bodyguards yell and then two gunshots. She rolled out of bed quickly, trying to be quiet as she searched frantically for somewhere to hide. Another gun shot rang out into the mayhem and she heard a body drop. She ran to the huge closet that Matt and Mello shared. Mello kept his guns there. Matt had taught her how to use a pistol, but she still had no idea what to do in this situation.

3 more gunshots. She went to the very back of the closet and hid behind Mello's large fur coats. After a quick scan of his gun safe, Alice grabbed the biggest hand gun she could and huddled, trying to silence her breathing. Outside the door she heard movement as the men ransacked Mello's apartment. They were in the kitchen, then the bathroom, the nursery, overturning furniture as they went. The door to Mello's bedroom crashed against the wall and she could hear the bed being tossed up. Men dug through dressers and ripped doors off cabinets and desks. It was only a matter of time until she was found.

"She ain't here, boss." One of the men said.

"Oh, she's here." Another man answered. She recognized the voice. Ron? Her phone's ringtone chimed. "I just messaged her. Her phone's here, she's here. Find her."

She cried through the panic and shivered as the door to the closet was eased open. "Come on out, sweetie…" Ron whispered. "We promise not to hurt you if you don't fight…." The sing-song character of his voice as he mocked her was humiliating. Matt had prepared her for this very day, and she'd naively pushed it off. Now he and Mello were both gone, and Ron's footsteps were getting frighteningly close to her hiding spot.

He started pulling clothes off their hangers, exposing the walls of the closet. "I know you're in here, Alice. We don't want you. We want Mello. You're just coming along for the ride." Shoes flew off the shelves they'd been resting on. She saw the worn tops of his tennis shoes from behind the coats. "Found you!" He exclaimed. She pointed the gun up and cringed away, pulling the trigger quickly with a scream of terror.

Nothing happened.

The black coat that concealed her was ripped away. Ron Gibson stared down at her, smirking at the useless gun in her hands.

"Pretty big gun for such a little girl." He said. He grabbed the gun's barrel and pulled it from her hands. Tears streamed down Alice's face. There was nowhere for her to run. Ron pulled his own pistol from his belt and pointed it at her. "Stand up."

Alice wiped the tears from her face and stood. "Now walk." Ron said, the pistol still pointed at her head. As she emerged into the room, she saw three bodies on the floor. Two belonged to her guards; one was Ron's employee. Counting that man and Ron, 6 men had shown up to ambush her. She had been helpless. Police sirens were already within earshot, so Ron wasted no time in binding her hands behind her and shoving her into the elevator. His entourage of men followed.

On the first floor, one of Ron's men put a bullet into the desk clerk in the foyer of the apartment complex. She was lifted into the backseat of an old car, her arms useless in their current state. Just as police began to arrive, Ron's driver pulled from behind the building and sped off down a back alleyway. They were headed downtown.

**Author's note: Dun Dun DUNNNNN….Review! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Well, I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! If you celebrate the holiday, that is. One quick look around my campus told me a lot of the foreign students' homelands don't go all bonkers over it like we do. Ah well. **

**Some of you may have noticed I threw up a new oneshot this week. I plan to write a few non-baby related stories, just to keep my creative juices all…juicy. Diversity is a major source of inspiration, at least on my part. So if you haven't checked out my second story, and if you don't mind adult themes and dramatic stories, check it out. Drop me a review. If you like the squeaky-clean adorableness of this fic, then stay right here- 'cuz we aren't done here yet. **

**Disclaimer? Disclaimer.**

**Last chapter, Matt and Mello finally made it to the conference with L and Near. Let's check in on them, shall we? **

**Chapter 21**

The massive oak doors swung inward, revealing the familiar brown desk that had sat behind them for years. Roger, as always, sat stoically behind it. His face was set in stern lines, which were intensified by the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. Roger had aged quite noticeably since they'd graduated. Behind him stood L, hands in his pockets and slumping in the same manner he'd had since Mello could remember first meeting him. Near was absent.

Both Roger's and L's eyes rose from the computer monitor they were studying as the boys entered. Matt sheepishly shut the door behind them. They all stood there in silence as an understood moment passed between them. Each of them had lives separate from this, yet here they were; returning to a place they'd long since forsaken, to do a task they'd given up on.

L was the first to speak. His flat monotone was the same as it'd always been. "It's nice of you two to join us." The unfocused, disinterested look in his black eyes held no semblance of genuine welcome, but it was obvious the socially awkward detective was trying to be courteous. "Please, have a seat."

Mello nodded. "It was rather odd hearing from you earlier this year." He and Matt filed into the same seats they'd sat in when called for discipline years ago, a habit Roger noticed silently. "But we've talked about it. We are interested."

"It was likewise odd discovering your penchant for overthrowing a mafia crime lord just to take his place." L said. "But, I can't say we were surprised."

"Yes, Near mentioned something along the lines of that." Mello said. Matt was inspecting the walls and bookshelves of the room. Their whole childhoods had been devoted to this moment. Why was it so awkward?

"He worked hard tracking you down. Matt, it might interest you to know, was significantly harder to locate and communicate with."

Mello smirked. "It's that way on purpose."

"So…" Roger spoke up. His voice was strained, aged as much as his appearance. "I take it you two are still in regular contact?"

"If by regular contact you mean we share a bedroom," Matt smiled, "then yes. Very regular. Very."

Mello rolled his eyes. Not even fifteen minutes back, and Matt was acting like a child. He acted like a child normally, but the situation called for some sense of maturity. Matt was apparently refusing even that.

Roger coughed. L seemed unfazed by the news that their relationship had continued past graduation.

"In fact," Matt said, fishing his wallet from his jeans, "we're having a baby."

Roger choked a bit on the tea he was sipping. L's eyes widened, followed by a cocked eyebrow.

"Matt." L mumbled.

"Yessir."

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this- although, given your intelligence and education, I sincerely hope you are- the two of you do not possess the necessary organs to gestate a fetus."

Mello chuckled. "That was my argument in the beginning."

"We aren't retarded, L." Matt said. "We have a surrogate."

"Would my hopes that this agreement was reached legally be unfounded?" Roger asked.

Mello smirked. "I'm not a habitual criminal, Roger. Of course it was legal."

That seemed to calm Roger down a bit, but L was still fascinated by the prospect of them having a child.

"For two so young to make a decision like this;" L said, chewing his thumb. "Have you considered every risk associated with raising a child?"

"We thought it through from the beginning." Mello lied. It would be better not to tell his prospective superiors that this decision was made after a poor anniversary date and a hasty choice in his office. "The surrogate has been kept under constant surveillance, as well as furiously protected by both Matt and myself. No harm will come to her. When the baby is delivered, she has chosen to pursue a new life out of state, perhaps out of country."

"Hmm." L mumbled. "And what of the danger you work activities presents?"

"No one aside from Matt, myself, and a doctor supplied by my organization's head know of her identity. Public exposure has been minimal."

"I'm sure L has many more questions about your….baby…." Roger said, "but it appears Near has arrived."

Mello and Matt strained to look out the window behind Roger's desk, but no cars were pulling into the circle drive. Suddenly the sound of helicopter blades became audible. Near was landing on the room of Wammy's, apparently.

"I fuckin' told you to get a jet…." Matt whispered to Mello, who just smiled.

"Actually," L said, "I wouldn't mind discussing this at length with the two of you. This is by far the last thing I was expecting."

Matt grinned, proud. "Do you want to see a picture of him?"

"It's a boy, then?"

Matt opened his wallet and retrieved the snapshot from their last sonogram. "We're going to name him Kyle."

"Kyle…" L mumbled, inspecting the small photograph. "That seems an appropriate name."

Ten minutes later, Near entered the room. Still ridiculously thin, it seemed that only Matt and Mello had bulked up since they'd left. He had donned his traditional white clothing, but had replaced his pajama pants for white slacks. No shoes covered his feet, but unlike L, he'd worn socks.

L and Roger instinctively look to Mello for his reaction to Near's presence. Unfazed, the blonde relaxed in his chair. Matt fidgeted with his fingers, waiting for the new awkwardness to fade.

"Greetings, Near." L said with as much enthusiasm as he had mustered for Matt and Mello earlier. "I'd suggest you take a seat, but they're all occupied."

"No bother." Near said. His voice had only slightly matured, still holding the airy childishness Mello remembered. Not quite low pitched, but not sing-songingly young. "If you may recall, I prefer floors anyway." He squatted in the middle of the floor then, right in front of Roger's desk, like he'd always done as a child. With Mello and Matt in their respective chairs and Near in the floor, the scene resembled many a childhood memory. The impact of the moment was not lost to Roger, whose face had relaxed to a warm, fatherly pose.

"I hadn't realized how affected I was going to be," Roger said, emotion coloring his words, "seeing all of you grown up."

"I agree." L said. "They still hold their same mannerisms, but it adds a certain realism to one's age, seeing them like this."

Looking at them, Mello felt a new respect for Roger. He'd hated the man for the better half of his life, caused no limit of chaos and trauma for him, and yet he was the only man in the world close to resembling his father. He'd always adored L, worshiped him practically, looking to him for guidance and wisdom, when in reality the parenting force he'd craved was always there. Roger had punished him for the tantrums he threw, but he was also the one who comforted him when he'd had nightmares. Roger was the one who'd explained the world, who'd tried his hardest to answer questions Mello had about his parents and why he couldn't seem to make friends. Roger was the one who suggested he room with Matt, recognizing the two had a bond as soon as he noticed Matt was the only kid on campus that didn't run away when Mello threatened him.

All his life, he'd been an ass to Roger. Caused him stress for the fun of it, often entangling Matt in the process, when he owed everything he had to him. A pain set in Mello's chest; before he left, he planned to apologize to Roger for his terror of a childhood. Matt noticed the conflicted expression on Mello's face and reached out to squeeze his hand.

Near noticed the gesture, and lost his mind. "Are you two still…ahem..dating?" Condescension dripped from his voice.

Matt's brow lowered over his goggles. "Isn't it obvious?" He clutched Mello's hand in his own. "Why?"

"I had hoped the two of you had overcome such a pathetic emotional involvement."

"Excuse me?" Mello said, unsure if Near was serious. Near hadn't joked their whole lives, but surely he wasn't deliberately being this offensive?

"It was different when we were younger, Mello. Expected even. But everyone has seen you, you've had your moment of attention. Please return to the normal, accepted relationship paradigm and spare me the indignation of seeing two men embrace."

Matt was growing angrier with every word Near said. "What the fuck, Near? We graduate and you turn fucking homophobe?"

"No change has taken place, Matt." Near said calmly. "In truth, I was never comfortable with your involvement with Mello. I saw it as a pitiful cry for attention on both your parts. I am sincerely upset that it has progressed even farther than a high school fling."

Roger cleared his throat. L was staring out the window, unconcerned with the conflict. "Near, Matt," Roger said. "this is not the time to wage personal wars. Please, let's return to business."

"Agreed." L and Mello said at the same time. Matt was fuming, glaring at the white-haired boy from behind the orange tint of his goggles.

"L," Roger said. "you may take over from here. I'm as excited as they are to hear what you have planned."

"Very well." L mumbled. He cleared his throat rather dramatically, shuffling his feet as he walked to the middle of the room. "The three of you were the top three of your graduating class. When I was considering graduates of Wammy's to form this investigative force with, I contacted Roger to see if he had any suggestions. True to his recommendation, your individual intelligences outweigh any class before yours, and all that have come after.

"My vision is a detective force that spans the globe, ideally solving cases I am otherwise too busy or disinterested in to work on. The four of us, in cooperation with the nations' police forces, will work to end crime and solve the most challenging mysteries."

"So.." Matt interrupted. "who gets what country?"

"It isn't 'country' so much as 'continent'." L said. "I had suspected that you and Mello would remain at the very least distant friends, so I have assigned you North and South America, with their respective islands and territories. If you choose to accept this offer, you will be referred to the leaders of every country on those continents with my blessing. They will be instructed to go to you for help when they need it, as opposed to contacting Watari and asking for me."

"That sounds pretty good." Matt said, looking at Mello. "We live there anyway."

"Unless the assignment is contested by Near, we will accept the Americas as our jurisdiction." Mello said. They looked to Near, who shook his head.

"Excellent." L said. "From there we move to Near's assigned area. I have chosen the continent of Africa, as well as the countries of India, Australia, and their respective islands and territories for you. I will take Europe and Asia, as well as Russia and the middle east."

"That seems an even division." Near said. "I accept my assigned countries as well."

"Very well." L said. "You will each be in charge of establishing your own headquarters. The expected rules of anonymity and invisibility will apply, of course."

"Well, wouldn't want to think they gave us these aliases for nothing…" Matt said with a smile to Roger.

"We will convene again after dinner," L said, turning away, "but these are the basics."

They all left the room then. Mello and Matt went for a walk around campus, relatively silent in their own ponderings until Matt couldn't get a reply from Alice.

"I've sent her 6 messages, Mells, and called her twice. Why isn't she answering?"

"She's probably asleep. It is late back home, and she usually sleeps all day anyway. She's fine."

"Call the bodyguards just to be sure?" Matt pleaded.

"My cell's battery is dead. I'll check on her when we get back to the hotel."

Matt frowned. "Okay…I'm just worried, you know?"

"I understand, Matty. But we can't assume something's gone wrong just because she isn't answering. Honestly, how likely is it that something has happened just because we left the country? She's been fine since we met her, she'll be fine when we get back."

After they'd eaten, they all returned to Roger's office to finish the meeting. Nothing actually remained to be said on the matter, but L never was prone to leaving loose ends. Everything was discussed at length to ensure complete understanding. Watari came in and offered refreshments about half way through, and politely suggested L come speak to him outside for a moment.

When L left, the room fell into yet another spell of awkward silence. Matt, being a natural ice breaker, felt led to lighten the mood. His choice of material wasn't well considered.

"Hey Near." He said.

"Yes, Matt?"

"Mello and I are having a baby."

"…..I fail to see the humor in such impossibility, Matt. Please stop prompting unwelcome visuals in my mind."

Matt glared, then crossed his arms over his chest. "We are. Ask Roger, he's seen the sonogram picture."

"I assume you've surrogated an embryo, then? Or entered into an adoptive agreement with an already-pregnant woman?"

"To put it blatantly," Matt smiled, "we kinda just came in little jars and spread our man juices all over her lady bits. But yeah, we have a surrogate."

The look on Near's face was one of disgust. "You never were one for subtlety. "

Matt just smiled and took his phone out, trying to contact Alice again.

"That's not exactly the way it happened." Mello said.

"I have no interest in how it came to be." Near said. "It is an abominable act against nature. No part of the natural order of the world implies homosexuality; it's illogical and unnecessary."

Roger cleared his throat. "Near, this is not a forum for you to express your own opinion. Please be professional." The irony that Near was losing his composure in the face of a calm, collected Mello was not lost on the man. "Every man is beneficial to this project; try not to offend half of them at once."

"I'm the one who's offended." Near asserted from his place on the floor. "I'm having to work with these two..these…._homos_, without the right to express my disapproval?"

Mello stood. "Near." He said. His voice dropped dangerously low. "If you have a problem with us, so be it. But I will not sit here and be disrespected because of your insecurities. One more word and I'll break your jaw."

Near's face remained stubborn, but fear flashed in his eyes. Satisfied, Mello returned to his seat. "If you have any doubt about which of us is more of a man, that should answer your question."

Matt laughed quietly, offering his hand to Mello who took it in his own. The room fell silent again until L returned.

"Matt, Mello," he said, opening a cabinet in the bookshelf behind Roger's desk to reveal a small box television. "I believe this may interest you." He turned it on and switched it to the news channel, where headlines proclaimed in large capital letters:

**California Senator Nathan McAllan Assassinated. Police have no leads. **

Reading the words, Mello jumped from his chair. "Shit. We need to leave."

Matt frantically called Alice's cell phone again, cursing when she didn't answer. "L, Roger." He said, panic in his voice. "Would you let us use the Wammy's jet?"

"Is something wrong?" Roger asked.

"Mafia business has caught up with us, it seems." Mello said. "The safety of our surrogate is in danger. We need to get back of Los Angeles as soon as possible."

"You may use the jet." L said. "Watari will fly you. Would you like us to ship your luggage from your hotel later?"

"I don't care." Mello said. "We need to leave now."

Matt called Alice again, begging for an answer. The other end picked up, but Alice wasn't the one speaking. It was a man.

"Hello, Mello."

Matt growled. "It's Matt actually. Who are you and what do you want?"

The rest of the room listened intently. Matt put the call on speakerphone, so they could hear.

"It's me, Matt. Your friend from the mall that day. Ron Gibson."

"Alice's exboyfriend." Matt scowled. "If you so much as fucking touch her, I will kill you. In fact, I'm going to kill you anyway, but things will be better for you if she's alive when I get there."

"Relax, Matthew." Ron said sinisterly. "My conflict with you isn't important. I want Mello, let me talk to him."

Matt handed the phone to Mello, running his fingers through his red hair and biting his lip. Every fear he'd had was coming true.

"This is Mello."

"Ah." Ron said. "Finally, the man who's responsible for all of this."

"What do you want?"

"It's simple, really. I'm the leader of the Diamonds now. You screwed us out of a political alliance. You've undoubtedly saw how that ended up for Senator McAllan. Come to L.A., get your own portion of the consequences for messing with the Diamonds. If you aren't here in two days, Alice and your little baby here get your share."

"This isn't going to end the way you've planned, Ron Gibson." Mello said.

"Come to your office. I'll be waiting." The line went dead. Mello threw the phone across the room. It shattered against the wall and fell to the floor.

"You have any assistance you need." L said.

"Just get me a jet. You don't want to be involved beyond that." Mello said. His face was grave, the face of a killer. Logic had left him. He saw only one image, and that was Ron Gibson's body lying lifeless on the carpet of his office.

**Author's Note: Haaa. Near as a homophobe? Sorry NxM fans, but Near seems more asexual than L to me, and I see him as completely blind to matters of emotion. Hence his inability to accept Matt and Mello's love because it's not evolutionarily ideal. The next chapter should be up soon, probably before next week. I'm excited about the way this is going to go down. Review!**


	22. Bonus Chapter 22

**Author's Note:**

**Bonus Chapter? Bonus Chapter. I get all of my foreign language from Google Translate, so if you're from Russia or you speak the language and my words are off, it's not my fault. **

**Mello and Matt are on a jet coming back to L.A. **

**Let's see what's goin' on back home.**

Вера, Честь, семья. Лояльность и гордость.

Затененный империи. С этого момента пока я не умру.

_Faith, Honor, Family. Loyalty and Pride. _

_The Shadowed Empire. From now until I die._

It was a peaceful day at the Mafia headquarters. Mello's office was vacant- he'd left three days ago on vacation, leaving a small security force behind to patrol the building. The rest of his men were on leave, taking vacations of their own. Rob and Dom were still cooped in their den on the fifth floor, utilizing Mello's security monitors as televisions for Soul Caliber matches. Including them only twelve men remained in the building, scattered out over the different floors.

It was around four p.m. when the security alarms went off.

"Hey Dom," Xavier's voice crackled over the PA system static. "I got alarms on two floors down here."

"I see that." Dominic said, pulling up camera feed from the floors in question.

"Is this a test, or a malfunction or somethin'?"

"Hmm…nope. Looks like we've got intruders on the second floor. They're taking the stairs."

"Diamonds?"

Dom scanned the mens' apparel. "Diamonds."

Xavier barked orders to the men in his patrol unit. "Alert the other guards on the upper floors." He told Dom. Rob informed the other patrols electronically. "We're going to cut them off now. How many?"

"I see six people total. Four are in front. They're all armed. One's behind them, dragging another. Looks like they've got a hostage."

"A hostage? There was no one on those floors."

"They must have brought them in with them, then. It's a woman."

Xavier's men had reached the third floor. "Alright. We won't hurt her."

"She's obviously important to either Mello or the organization if they've got her."

"We'll take care of it. Get Pierce and his men down here. They're not getting any farther."

From the screen, they could see the conflict start. Two of the Diamonds advanced up the stairs, met by Mello's security. Xavier was talking, no doubt discouraging them from coming any further. He and his men had 9mm pistols. The Diamonds had assault rifles. All four men had their handguns aimed at the two enemies.

Xavier continued to talk until Ron Gibson arrived on the floor, dragging a cooperative Alice behind him. He went silent then, searching to make sure she was okay. It was the woman they'd brought in for Mello. She'd agreed to have his kid-and she was pregnant.

"Listen boys." Xavier said, addressing his men. "That's Mello's kid that woman's carrying. Protect her with your life, understand?" The nodded.

"Oh don't worry." Ron smirked. "Nothin's gonna happen to her. We're just headed for Mello's office, where she'll sit tight and safe until he shows up."

"Or, you give her to me and walk out of here with your lives, enjoying the last of them until Mello shows up and we kill every single fucking one of you." Xavier growled.

"I don't really see that happening, babe." Ron said. "Sorry, you're gonna have to let us pass."

Xavier pulled his gun up, pointing it at Ron's forehead. "Give me the girl."

Ron pulled his own gun from his belt, a polished .44 Magnum, and aimed the huge barrel at Xavier. With a smile and a sadistic laugh, he squeezed the trigger. Chaos broke out as Xavier's body fell, a hole through his chest too large to repair. Dom yelled through the PA at Pierce's men, telling them to get down to the third floor immediately.

The other guards of Xavier's force took cover behind columns, firing at the advancing men. More Diamonds began flooding the first floor, making their way up the stairs. Pierce's force burst through the fifth floor, tearing through the darkness. Two guards tossed guns to Robert and Dominic. Pierce yelled for them to keep monitoring the situation and charged down the stairs to the fourth floor.

Back in the conflict, two more of Mello's men had fallen. Over 20 Diamonds had arrived, clogging the stairwell behind Ron. The last man of Xavier's team had taken refuge in a room to the left, trading his pistol for a shotgun.

"Pierce," Rob said calmly, "Eric's in room 12C, behind a desk. They're funneling through the door."

"Is it just 12C?" Pierce was also calm. They'd been trained for this. Aside from the adrenaline of battle, no stress was present in any of Mello's men. They were ready to defend the organization with their very lives.

"They're…they're all filing through that single door." Robert sighed. There might be a lot of Diamonds, but they were still ridiculously untrained and stupid.

"We're going through 10C then." All the rooms were connected with doors. Pierce's men entered through the door to room 10C, then made their way through 11 and 12 before joining the last of Xavier's force, Eric, in room 13 by a door in the back. With the entirety of the security team distracted, Ron Gibson dragged Alice down the hall and into the elevator, headed for the top floor.

"Their leader's headed for Mello's office." Dom said.

"Let him get there." Pierce strained to shout over the gunfire. "He's got Mello's surrogate with him. She can't get hurt or all of this will be pointless."

Crouching behind overturned wooden desks, the guards took cover from the onslaught of automatic rounds.

"Hey boss!" another guard called to Pierce. "I'm out!" He discharged his magazine to the floor to emphasize his point. Two others repeated, echoing his actions.

"Fall back!" Pierce shouted, then quieted. "Eric. Cover us. We need to get to the 6th floor at least." The 6th floor was the building's first line of final defense, with hidden guns and ammunition stocked in an otherwise normal office floor. Guards were trained to retreat there if the conflict was too great, for more firepower and more resources. Some walls were reinforced with steel and concrete to provide cover. They'd never been invaded before, but they knew their only chance of stopping it was the 6th floor.

Three men crabwalked to the same door they'd entered with, Eric providing cover fire as they slowly made their way out of the room. From there it was a hasty charge up several flights of stairs. Pierce stayed behind with Eric until his own ammo was depleted, then the two ran to join the others. Diamonds flooded out of both doors of room 13C, filling the hallway. There was no reason for them to run; their sheer numbers meant that they'd eventually overpower Mello's guards.

As the security teams ran through the Tech Department's floor, Rob and Dom abandoned their post as lookouts and joined them. Reaching the 6th floor, the men hurried to rearm themselves and secure strategic cover positions. Nine of them were left. Three at the front of the room, two with shotguns hunkering behind a massive conference table and one with an AR-15 concealed behind a reinforced cubicle. Pierce and Eric stayed in the middle of the room, its centralized position ideal for giving orders over the chaos. They'd traded their handguns for assault rifles, as well as Eric's shotgun for backup between reloading. Two men were behind them. M4 carbines were slung over their shoulders but they brandished .45 caliber pistols in both hands. Using automatic weapons from behind posed too great a risk of hitting their own members. They'd resort to them only if Pierce and the others fell. Rob and Dom were at the very back of the room, covering the second doorway. Robert had another M4 and an AK-47. Dom had a double barrel shotgun and an AN-94. If any Diamonds came through the back door, they'd be on the front lines.

A breathless silence fell over them as they waited. The tension was palpable, but they all had a solid understanding of their task. It would be easy to pick off enemies individually; they would have to funnel single-file through either door. What Pierce was not expecting was a blast to come from the side of the room, obliterating the wall to the right of him and Eric and letting Diamonds flow into the room. Now on the front line, Pierce began firing his own AN-94 into the crowd of Diamonds. Eric and the others followed suit, emptying their rounds into the masses. The Diamonds fired back-three of Mello's men fell, compared to 8 of Ron's.

Pierce ordered the others to move to the center of the room. They formed a single arc of defense, forsaking their handguns for the automatic weapons or shotguns. Two men at the center fell. Pierce swore and motioned for the remaining to move in even closer. Eric fell beside him, shot in the neck. Another guard's gun jammed and he fell, Tyson Davis following soon after. 11 Diamonds remained, with only Pierce, Robert and Dominic left to defend the building.

Ron Gibson's voice shouted over the PA system. He was monitoring his men's progress through a screen in Mello's office. "Alright boys, that's good." He said. "Wentz, you stay behind. Kill all of them but one, and bring him up to me. The rest of you get up here and plan your patrols. No one gets in or out of this building until Mello gets here."

Pierce glared up at the crowd of Diamonds. They began to slowly exit the room through the hole they'd created. 6 stayed behind, guns pointed at the three survivors. Collin Wentz stood at the center of them, loading a revolver.

"Wentz." Pierce growled. The Diamonds disarmed him and the others, stripping them of any defense. "You lying bastard. I welcomed you into this family myself, and this is how you repay us?"

Collin Wentz laughed. "This family of yours is corrupt, Pierce. You sign your entire life away to an organization, to one man- yet you can't even trust him with it."

"Mello's been nothing but good to you, to us. He paid your debts, absolved your record. He helped me get revenge on the man that murdered my wife." Pierce said. "He's given us more wealth than we can imagine. He's earned my life, if it's going to be required of me."

"All that sentimentality for a man you don't even know?"

"I've known Mello for years. " Pierce growled. "You've been here long enough to know that he's the greatest leader we could have. He's the strongest, the smartest. Challenging that will only bring you death- you know this. I know this."

"You're so sure you know him, yet you have no clue what he's hiding. You said he helped you get revenge?"

"He helped me track down the man that killed my wife. Gave me everything I needed to kill him."

"How long did it take for you to trust him enough to tell him that?"

"I came to him specifically for it. Mello's got power, he's got skill. That's all the trust I needed."

"And in return you've sacrificed yourself for him."

"It's the only way to completely pay off my debt."

"You trust a man with power so suddenly. It's pathetic."

"I know Mello wouldn't betray us, so quit the fucking mind games and finish this."

"I never implied that he's betrayed you. But you might be interested to know that, for a man who puts so much emphasis on his Mafia family, he's made you sacrifice your life for his own little project. Your death isn't going to be an honorable defense of your organization, the so-called family you belong to."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's simple. You're going to die because Mello tangled this family with his real one. First off, that woman with Ron is surrogating his kid."

"I know that, I brought her in."

"But why did he need a surrogate? Why didn't he just knock up any prostitute he owns? Because he's a faggot. That redhead guy that he brings around every now and then is his boyfriend, and Alice is carrying their kid for them."

Robert and Dominic spared a fleeting glance between themselves. This explained a lot.

"That makes absolutely no difference to me." Pierce said. "I'd give my life for Mello and this organization regardless. This is true family, Wentz. He doesn't trust us enough to tell us he's gay, that's fine; look what happened when someone found out. He's given me more than I could ever have hoped to achieve. This is why we fight for him. This is why we die."

"Whatever." Collin rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to the dying part." He placed a single bullet in his revolver and spun the chamber. "Ron only needs one of you alive. He doesn't care which of you that is, and neither do I. So let's play a game, hmm?" He nodded to the remaining Diamonds in the room, who tied Pierce, Rob and Dom's arms behind their backs and left. They were completely defenseless. "Russian roulette- I think you will all appreciate the humor in this situation."

Pierce glared at him. Their faces were masks of defiance. Wentz spun the revolver a second time and pointed it at Robert, pulling the trigger. Nothing happened, but Collin noticed the look of concern on Dominic's face.

"Buddies, eh?" He said, putting a second bullet in the gun and pointing it at Pierce, who was in the middle. "That's too bad; one of you is going to live without the other. For a little bit longer, that is." He spun the chamber, the odds of a bullet firing now doubled, and slapped it back in place with a clack.

"You're not going to win, you know that." Pierce said calmly. "No matter how many of us you kill, more will come. Mello will get here and hell will come loose."

"You think so?" Collin asked mockingly.

"You haven't been here long enough to see him angry."

Collin squeezed the trigger. The gun fired, hitting Pierce in the chest. He fell to the floor, silent.

The reality of the situation was overpowering for Robert and Dominic. As Wentz put two more bullets into the gun, tripling the potential for the gun to fire, Dominic turned to Robert.

"This isn't going to end well." He said.

"Yeah…I noticed." Both men's faces were grim.

"Let me do it." Dominic said.

"And live whatever time I have left without you? That's worse than any bullet wound."

"Don't tell me you two are fuckin' queer too…" Collin groaned. "Just shut up and let's get this done."

They ignored him. "It'd be the same for me." Dominic said quietly. "Either way, we're both about to be in a lot of pain."

"Damn straight you are." Wentz said, aiming the gun at Dom. "I said shut up."

"Looks like it's me." Dominic said. Silent tears filled Robert's eyes, threatening to fall any second.

"Dom, I…" He said, stuttering. "I don't know if I've.."

"Shhh…." Dominic hushed him. "It's going to be alright. Live or die, we protect Mello and his family."

Robert nodded. "Right. Whichever of us lives defends that until he dies."

They both stared at each other, Dominic swallowing hard.

"Вера, Честь, семья. Лояльность и гордость.Затененный империи. С этого момента пока я не умру." They said in unison. The disparity of the chant was tangible. Both men were staring death in the face, both prepared to lose the one he loved.

"That's enough." Collin said. He pulled the hammer back on his revolver, which was still aimed at Dominic.

"Robert." Dominic said. "I love yo-" Collin's gun fired. Dominic slumped to the floor, bleeding from his abdomen.

A single tear fell from Robert's eye, his face now set with determination.

"Looks like you get to be the lucky one." Collin Wentz said. "Get on up now. Let's go visit Ron." He untied Robert's hands and escorted him out of the room. Robert cast one final glance at the lifeless body of the only person he'd ever loved in the world before following Collin to the elevator.

He was the only survivor. Others would come, Mello would come, but what would it be worth? He'd fulfill his duty to his death. All of his childish jokes were gone. Dominic had died for a love exactly like their own, and now he was going to fill his place in that equation until he died too. They reached the top floor and he was handcuffed again, this time to a chair in Mello's office. A woman, Alice, was beside him, tear streaked and hassled. They both sat there in silent understanding of each other. There was nothing to do now but wait for Mello.

**Author's Note: That ended up a lot grittier than I intended…. so here's a deleted scene the real Robert and I worked out before I wrote this (there's your credit, whiny ass.) . Sort of like a blooper, just to lighten the mood. If you can't tell, it's the scene in England, right after they see the broadcast of McAllan's assassination and Matt calls Alice but Ron picks up the phone. Enjoy. **

Matt called Alice again, begging for an answer. The other end picked up, but Alice wasn't the one speaking. It was a man.

"Hello, Mello."

Matt growled. "It's Matt actually. Where's Alice?"

The rest of the room listened intently. Matt put the call on speakerphone, so they could hear.

"Oh, she's safe with me. You know me, right? Ron, from the mall?"

Matt scowled. "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want-"

"I'm Ron Gibson, and I want Mello dead."

"If you're looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money."

"Actually, uh, Mello's a millionaire at least."

"But what I do have are a particular set of skills-"

"I see where this is going…"

"-skills that I have acquired over a very long career."

"Are you going to yell at me over Xbox Live?"

Matt groaned. "Will you please just SHUT the FUCK UP?! I'm trying to do something here!"

"I noticed."

"Ahem. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you."

"Can I talk to Mello now?"

"Fuck it." He handed the phone to Mello, who rolled his eyes.

"Ron Gibson, this is Mello. I know what you're about to say, and I don't need to hear it. I'm already on my way. Let Alice go."

"How do you know where I am?"

"If you do not let her go, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

He ended the call.

"Did..did you just…" Matt stuttered, in shock. "YOU JUST FUCKING STOLE MY BIT! I WAS DOING THE LIAM NEESON QUOTE!"

Mello smiled and put the phone away.

**Haaa. If you get the reference, which I'm sure you all do, then you're awesome. **

**Know what'd make you even more awesome? A crazy little thing called a review. AND LOOK! there's a review form right down there. :D**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: It's time for an update! Well, technically it was time on Monday, but I was busy. So now I'm doing my best to finish this chapter in one night. Let's see how that goes. **

**I'm glad you all felt so strongly about last chapter. I worked really hard on those scenes, especially Dominic's shooting and Pierce's monologue. Thanks for your reviews, they keep me happy! And happiness leads to me ignoring a deadline to write this fic instead. **

**Disclaimer. **

**Last chapter we saw Mello's organization get invaded and occupied. The security teams he left were overpowered, and only one man remains. Why does Ron want one of Mello's men alive? What is he planning? Let's see. **

**What chapter is this? I forgot. **

Watari landed the Wammy's House jet on a private runway, two miles outside Los Angeles. Mello thanked him quickly before pulling out his cell phone and calling for a cab to pick him and Matt up, stressing to the driver that haste would be rewarded significantly. Matt stepped out of the aircraft and immediately pulled out a cigarette, putting it to his lips and lighting it. Mello didn't think to question where the redhead had gotten a cigarette, nor did he care. He just nodded to Matt as the jet streamed down the runway again. They waited silently for 10 minutes until the cab showed up.

"No smoking in the cab." A middle-aged ethnic man grunted. Mello shoved a crumpled mass of hundred dollar bills in his face as he climbed in. The driver's mouth snapped shut. "Uh..Where to?"

Matt mumbled the address of their apartment complex, broodingly staring out the window. He hadn't smoked in so long, the nicotine was almost strong enough to choke him. But at least that was feeling, instead of the empty desperation that had settled in his stomach ever since they'd left England. After another 10 minutes of driving, they had reached the outskirts of L.A.

The closer they came to the city, the slower they traveled. Downtown, an accident at a stop light had backed traffic up in all four directions. The cabbie pulled their vehicle to a slow stop behind a mile or so of other cars. Matt swore and Mello opened his door.

"Our apartment is about 30 blocks from here." He said. Matt got out of the car as Mello handed the driver even more money. "Your cooperation is appreciated, but you've done as much as you can."

They crossed through the frozen lanes of traffic until they reached the sidewalk. Mello saw the defeated look on Matt's face and frowned. "Gibson wants to demonstrate something, otherwise he would have already killed Alice." He said. "He's waiting on me to get there. Everything will be fine. Alice is okay….Kyle is okay."

"Mello…" Matt choked on his own words. "What if you're wrong? What if they aren't okay?"

"We're going to make sure they are." Mello said, turning down the alley to his right and cutting behind a restaurant. "And I'm going to kill every last son of a bitch in my way."

Matt nodded in agreement as they hurried to their apartment complex. Police tape was still hanging in a perimeter of the building, but the cars in the lot said that life for the other tenants had returned to normal. They took the elevator to their apartment. The door still bore the damage of boots where it had been kicked in. Blood stained the beige carpet, and the furniture was still overturned. Matt sighed and shook his head, following Mello into the bedroom.

Behind a painting on the wall was a keypad that opened a safe inside the wall. Inside that safe was another keypad that released Mello's actual gun cabinet. The small version inside his closet was a decoy. It only housed handguns and a single rifle. Under the bed, which the Diamonds had torn away from its frame, was a secret compartment. Matt pulled up a section of carpet, then removed the wooden floorboards that concealed a reinforced steel box.

Mello entered the code to open it on the keypad, and Matt started heaving guns out of the box and setting them on the floor beside him. Mello opened several more hidden compartments in dressers and shelves, gathering ammunition. By the time it was over, Mello and Matt had armed themselves with enough firepower to overthrow a small government.

Mello wasn't going to call in anymore of his men. He knew that the Diamonds had probably already killed all of the men he'd left to patrol his building. No one else was going to die because of him. They still needed a way to the headquarters. He checked the traffic situation; two lanes were open now, the city having finally cleared them of the wreckage.

"We can't take the main highway." Matt said. "Those cars are just going to pile up again, or move at a snail's pace as they all try to get where they're going. Let's take the backroads."

"It'll take too long to get there trying to navigate those turns." Mello said. "My bike isn't fast enough, we'd take forever just to get a few miles."

Behind him, Matt roared the engine of his Camaro. "Speed isn't an issue. Get in."

They were silent as Matt navigated the turns of the service roads. Off the main highway, they were tearing past buildings, forsaking the conventionally traveled roads for those behind the restaurants and clubs.

Finally arriving at Mello's office space, Matt parked the car haphazardly and stormed out. Two Diamond guards at the door tried to greet them, but Mello silenced them both with two shots to the head. Matt's face mirrored the determination on Mello's. No questions were going to be asked, no negotiations made. Matt slung the automatic rifle over his shoulder and pulled the slide back on his pistol, following Mello into the building.

The lower floors were spared guard detail. They jogged through the halls and up the stairs without conflict. On the fourth floor, a small group of guards were turning a corner just ahead of the mouth of the stair case, where Mello and Matt had just arrived. Mello knew Ron was watching from the security monitors in his office, so they didn't bother with stealth. He nodded to Matt, who unleashed a fury of automatic rounds into the group. They all fell, and the two continued down the hall and up the stairs.

Mello shot every guard they came into contact with, with Matt helping on larger crowds. He'd only seen Mello like this once, the first time he'd killed a man. They'd both been newly inducted to the mafia, long before Mello took over as leader. Their initiation was to kill a rival gang leader, a small faction that existed before the Diamonds. Matt provided technical help, cutting the power to the man's night club and tripping the fire alarm while Mello charged in and actually killed him. For a week after that, Mello's emotions alternated between spells of depression and self-loathing and almost psychotic sadism. Matt had watched in horror as Mello took hit job after hit job, returning home late to either drink himself into a stupor or have violent sex with a less-than-willing Matt. Only after an intervention did Mello calm down and focus on taking the reins of leadership.

He wore the same face now that he did then. Some part of him had reverted back to that unabridged craving for violence Mello had always possessed. Matt just looked away and tried to hurry, walking up the stairs and motioning for Mello to follow him.

8 more guards died before they reached Mello's office. By the time they'd emerged on the top floor, Matt had already come to terms with all the death. He'd known they were going to kill Ron. Probably any other guys in the room with him. But the sheer number of guards they had shot was massive; normal men would have cracked under the inhumanity. Matt, however, had calmly accepted it, filed the tragedy away in a part of his brain that would deal with it later, if ever. He focused on rescuing Alice.

Inside the office, Ron sat behind Mello's desk. In front of him were Rob and Alice, hands bound behind the backs of the chairs they sat in and gags tied around their mouths.

"Mello!" Ron exclaimed, clapping his hands. "I see you've finally decided to join us."

"I'm here." Mello growled. "Let them go."

Matt started to rush toward, but two huge Diamond guards blocked his path. He raised his gun, but Mello waived him down. Matt begrudgingly put his weapon down as Alice started to cry again. How long had this bastard had her tied up like this?

"That reminds me." Ron said. "You'll need to turn over all of your weapons." Matt started to object, but Mello shook his head again. He had a plan, apparently.

After they'd been stripped of all dangerous items, Mello stood in the middle of the room. Matt crossed his arms defiantly in the corner, anxious to see what Ron had in mind.

"You see, Mello, there's a reason you're still alive, unlike your friend the Senator." Ron said. "That reason is because I want to teach you a lesson."

"Get to the point, Gibson." Mello scowled.

"I suppose you're wondering how I figured out your little family plan?"

"Not particularly, you're going to die soon anyway."

"You see, months ago you had your little boyfriend here sneak into our headquarters. He's pretty good with computers-it took hours of scanning interrupted video feed to find an image of him. Now, Richie didn't even bother to look for him after we got a good picture of his face, but that's not the way a leader thinks. It was because of you, Matt, that Mello started talking to our senator. But Richie didn't care about that, didn't care that the greatest opportunity the Diamonds had ever gotten was snatched right out from beneath them. The Diamonds deserve better than that. The Diamonds deserved a king fit to rule them, a king that doesn't take lightly to thieves taking from his people. It was only natural that I took power- it was easy, in fact. Richie Corsantos eats a bullet for his last meal, and the rightful leader of the Diamonds takes the throne."

"Listen, I really don't care about any of this." Matt said from the corner. "Shut the fuck up and get to the point."

Ron frowned. "Fair enough. My point is that we, the Diamonds, are a family. We care for each other, and I, the leader, only act in the best interest of the family. But you see, Mello here calls his organization his family too. He feeds his employees lies about honor and loyalty until they'll die for him. Look here-" He gestured to Robert. "The only one left, and his life was only spared because I need him. The others were willing to throw their lives away simply because you said to. That's not family. That's insanity. And here," he pointed to Alice. "is your real family. They all died to protect the ones you really care for, the ones you _really _love. Isn't that sick? Doesn't that make you hate yourself?"

Mello just stood silent, brow furrowed in anger. A Diamond guard put a gun to Matt's head.

"So, here's the punishment." Ron said. He stood and removed the gags from Rob and Alice, who took deep breaths of air and stretched their jaws, looks of horror still plastered on their faces. He handed Mello a gun. "Robert is the last remaining member of your 'family.' And I mean the last. We looked into your files; I've sent men to take care of the remaining members, the ones that weren't here when we decided to visit. He's sworn his life to you. Watched his gay lover die for you. He's so indoctrinated into your lies that he accepted his death as soon as we tied him up here."

He crossed to Alice's chair, slamming his palm on the back of the seat, startling here. "Now, Alice here, is carrying your baby. She is the closest thing to actual family you have, besides him over there." He pointed to Matt, who was glaring at the man who held a gun to his head. It'd been a long time since he'd been in a situation like this. "So, Mello, show me the meaning of family. Is it the man who gave up his entire life outside to be a member of your organization, or the dumb hooker you knocked up? Either way, you're a liar. But to what extent? Kill Robert, and your entire life since you became boss has been a lie. Kill Alice, and everything you told Matt was a lie. Who do you choose?"

Mello's grip tightened on the gun.

"And don't think you can just shoot me. Because even if you do, my buddy back there will kill Matt, and where will that leave you?"

"Mello." Robert's hoarse voice offered. "You know the answer. I watched the only person I've ever loved in this world die for you. It would be the greatest shame I could know to ask you to spare me."

"Rob…" Mello said. "I'm truly sorry for what you've seen, for what you've gone through the last few days. It never should have gotten this far, and it's my fault that it did."

"Hey." Robert stuttered. "You believe in Heaven, right?"

"I'm not sure I deserve to anymore."

"Yeah…but if it exists…if Hell exists….then Dom will be in either of those places, and that's where I want to be. Heaven or Hell, Purgatory, nothingness, just send me to him."

Mello raised the gun, leveling it with Robert's forehead. Ron Gibson smiled in the background.

"I will never forgive myself."

"Don't think like that." Robert chuckled, nervously. "Soon as this is over you kill the son of a bitch, and get your life back. Raise that.." he swallowed, lips twitching. "raise your baby away from all this shit. Keep Matt safe, and for God's sake man, love him until the end. Because I've been through Hell these past few days, seeing Dom die. You don't want to go through that. You don't accept it. You can't accept it. So do your damnedest to live long with him. If anything, do it for me. Live the life that Dom and I couldn't have."

Mello cocked the pistol, returning it to its place immediately before Robert's face.

"He loved me, Mello. He told me so."

Mello closed his eyes. Robert's stayed open; his head turned to the side to look as Dominic came crashing through the door, falling to the floor. Mello's gun fired.

Alice screamed, a long, shrill noise. Matt's guard jumped and pointed his gun at Dominic, who was laying on the floor, trying to raise himself with his arms. Matt took advantage of the situation to disarm and attack the Diamond guard, knocking him to the floor and rendering him unconscious with a kick to the head. Mello looked in confusion at Dominic, then pointed his own gun at Ron. Matt did the same.

"Mello…" Dominic said, horrified. "What have you done?"

"Dom…." Mello said. "I thought you were dead."

"So you kill Robert?!"

"It's not what it looked like!" Matt protested. "That bastard over there gave him an ultimatum. Robert or Alice, someone had to die."

"So you kill off your own family to save some whore you got pregnant?" Dominic was furious, a passionate frenzy of anger. "Pierce gave his life for you. Tyson too, and Eric and the others. All of them, because you taught us to be loyal to our family. But you choose her, an outsider, over all of us?"

Ron Gibson laughed maniacally, clapping his hands. Matt silenced him with a bullet. He fell, dead.

"Dominic." Mello sighed. "Nothing I say will convince you to forgive me. In fact, I don't deserve to be forgiven, so I'm not going to try. Just know that I'm sorry. I'll go the rest of my life seeing Robert's face when I close my eyes, seeing the pain he felt thinking you were dead. If it makes anything better, he chose it himself. He was trying to get back to you, in whatever kind of afterlife is waiting."

"That makes nothing better!" Dominic exclaimed, falling to his knees. He sighed. "We trusted you."

Mello said nothing. Matt helped Alice to stand and escorted her out the door.

"I can take you to the hospital." Mello said.

"I'm going to die anyway." Dom stated bitterly. "Just leave. Leave and never do this to another human. This is a fate worse than death, Mello. I know, because for days I flirted with death. I drifted in and out of consciousness, feeling pain you can't imagine. But this is even worse than that. Seeing him there…." He reached out, taking Robert's lifeless hand in his own. "Just leave me. If there is an afterlife, he's there waiting for me. Probably looking around, stumbling like an idiot trying to find me." he smiled. "Annoying all the other dead people, the ghosts or whatever, asking them if they've seen me. We never were great with social skills…."

Mello sighed and turned away, walking out the door as Dominic collapsed on top of Robert's body, sobbing.

Outside, Matt had laid Alice down in the backseat of his Camaro. When Mello was seated, they sped off to the hospital. They told the doctor in the emergency room she'd been in a car accident to explain all the bruises and the trauma. Mello sat silently in the car as Matt stood outside it, smoking. A nurse came out to greet them, and tell them of Alice's condition. The good news was that she was going to live, and that the baby still had an audible heartbeat. The bad news was that Alice would need to deliver the baby immediately.

What followed were hours of Matt pacing the floor, and Mello staring at the wall.

Both of them were anxious, dreading the moment a surgeon came through to door and told them the operation had failed.

More pacing.

More staring.

A lunch break.

Cursing, crying and even more pacing.

Until….

6 hours of surgery-assisted labor later, Kyle Matthew Jeevas was introduced to the world.

**Author's Note: What just happened? Whoa. I broke into tears like four times writing this, it's not even funny. Jeez. Anyway, I didn't come close to finishing this in a single day, thanks to some stupid essay for my composition class that took way too fekking long. Review, maybe? **


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Hello, my beautiful, wonderful readers. It's been a long week. This update is late…. sigh…but I've been busy. I have one thing to say about college- fuck finals, in the face, with a brick. **

**Now that that's over…**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. You might all be interested to know that Robert CRIED LIKE A LITTLE GIRL at his own death. I don't know Dominic's reaction, but I'm sure it was similar. haha. **

**On to the chapter. What happened last chapter? Umm….oh yeah! Something about Robert dying…and Ron Gibson dying…Alice in the hospital….OHMYJEEVASKYLEWASBORN. Right? right. **

**On to the chapter! **

**Thundercats, HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**LOL. **

Alice lay in the hospital bed, recovering from the operation. Only she wasn't Alice Mcready anymore- she was Amanda Teaman, the 23 year old Milwaukee native who was being treated for injuries sustained in a car accident. Alice Mcready was issued a death certificate. She didn't know how to deal with her new identity. As soon as she returned to her family in North Dakota, which she had decided to do after Kyle's 5 month prenatal appointment, she would resume being called Alice. She had no intention of informing her family about her time in California, and definitely didn't plan on letting them know she'd had a baby. But for now, at least until she got off her plane and went home, she was a completely different person.

Matt and Mello had stopped by earlier to give her the passport and papers. It had been two days since Kyle was born; she would be out of the hospital this evening. After the events of the past few days, she was more than ready to move far, far away from California. She'd miss Matt and Mello; she'd definitely miss Kyle. It was hard to push him away when the nurse brought him in to breast feed. She had spent the entire pregnancy keeping herself emotionally distant from the tiny person growing inside her, but now that she could see him, hold him, sleep with him…..the hardest part of leaving would be saying goodbye to him. Her son, technically. A mother can't help but love her child, even if she willingly gives that child to someone else.

Matt was in a chair in the corner, complaining about how long they'd waited to see the baby. Kyle had been in the NICU, being monitored for any complications after birth. So far, the only one of them who'd seen him was Alice herself. Mello sat beside her, explaining how she would use this identity. On her important, legal documents, she was Amanda. That was all that mattered. It would keep anyone from tracking her down- this was her ticket to freedom. Nothing like the Diamonds would ever be a threat to her again. Hearing that brought peace to her mind. It might hurt to leave, but it was definitely safer.

"We want you to know how thankful we are that you did this." Mello said. His eyes had deep crescents of black under them, like he hadn't slept in days. None of them had, of course, but Mello showed the wear of stress the most.

"It's been an amazing experience." Alice said quietly. "I loved every minute of it….I'm so glad this happened rather than me working my debt off for the rest of my life."

Mello smiled, a strained expression. "Have you decided on a price for all of this trouble?"

Alice's face fell. "I….I hadn't actually thought much about it."

"We set you up an overseas bank account." Matt said. "Whatever amount you specify will be wired to it in a matter of minutes."

She chewed her lip thoughtfully, brow furrowed. "I don't know what to say. I mean, any amount I think of will be too much. You've already given me enough just letting me see Kyle."

"Wish I could see Kyle…" Matt grumbled.

"Alice…_Amanda…_" Mello said. "What's the largest amount of money you've ever possessed?"

"Like all at once, or what?"

"Doesn't matter. An insurance check, maybe a savings account, whatever. How much?"

"I had $15,000 before I came to California. And when you gave me that $50,000 check for the Diamonds, that was the most I'd ever seen."

"What if I take both of those, combine them, and double that? Would it be enough to compensate for all of this?"

She did the math in her head. "Uh..I-I'm pretty sure that'd be more than enough Mello."

"Excellent. The money will be in your account tomorrow. From there, you have full access to all of it. Move it to a bank here in America, travel the world, spend it on fingernail polish…whatever you want."

Alice was stunned. "Th-thank you…..."

Their conversation was interrupted when a nurse clad in bright yellow scrubs opened the door, carrying a quiet bundle of baby. Kyle had arrived. Matt sprung from his chair and almost tripped over Alice's bed cords trying to get at the nurse. Mello's face lit up into a huge smile. They were both eager to see what their son looked like. Alice had refused to tell them who he resembled the most, wanting them to experience the sheer magnitude of Kyle's living to impact them as much as it had her.

The nurse handed her the baby, who was concealed within a blue blanket, and left. Mello leaned in from the side. Matt loomed over head, staring impatiently at the edge of the blanket covering Kyle's face. The blanket twitched slightly as he moved inside it. Alice looked at both of them individually and smiled, before gently uncovering baby Kyle's face.

"Perfection…" Mello whispered.

"Mother. Fucker." Matt pouted. Here was Kyle, at 6 pounds 2 ounces, at 17.3 inches long, with a head of thick hair. A head of thick _blonde_ hair.

"Are you going to use language like that around the baby?" Alice asked mockingly.

"I quit smoking twice for him." Matt said. "I can't drop everything."

Mello chuckled. Kyle's blue eyes sleepily moved in the direction of the sound, before returning to Alice.

"He heard you." Matt said. "Did you hear that, baby?" He cooed. "Did you hear your daddy laugh? That's a rare occasion you know."

Alice looked at Mello. "Do you want to hold him?"

Mello looked nervous as Alice began to pass Kyle to him. "He's so small though….I'm not sure I should…my god." He stared down at the tiny person in his hands. His own ice-blue eyes were met with pale blue ones. As his jaw dropped Kyle's mouth formed a tiny 'o'.

"Hello Kyle." Mello whispered. "I'm your father." Kyle's eyes lazily shut, then opened wide. His head turned ever-so-slightly, betraying any hidden intelligence. Kyle was much more alert and aware than any other newborn in the hospital.

"He's never moved that much with me." Alice observed. "I think he likes you."

Matt groaned, impatient. "I hope he pees on you."

Mello gently thumbed Kyle's cheek, causing him to turn his face into the caress, before handing him to Matt. Matt took him gratefully and held Kyle to his chest, snuggling against his hair with a smile that took up half of his face. His goggles were gone, discarded to the backseat of his Camaro for how. He wanted to see his baby sans orange tint. Kyle fell asleep in his arms, rolling his head back against the crook of Matt's elbow and closing his eyes.

"You know.." Matt whispered, not breaking his stare on the baby. "I read somewhere that a baby's eye color can change. Like they start out all blue like this but pigment is added as they age."

"Or he's just a blonde haired, blue eyed boy. Like me." Mello laughed.

"Either way I'll love him…but he totally looks like me. Wait 'til his eyes change color, you'll see."

Amanda Teaman boarded a flight to North Dakota at 9 AM the following day. Matt and Mello returned to their old apartment one last time, careful not to be seen alive by any of the other tenants. The police were satisfied, thinking that the bodies of Mello's men were in fact his and Matt's. Death certificates had also been acquired for the aliases they'd registered the apartment under. There was nothing to suggest they might still be alive. They packed as much as they could, forsaking clothes and dishes for things that were necessary and irreplaceable. Matt's videogames were packed, of course, and most of Kyle's nursery equipment aside from the furniture.

They flew to Massachusetts that night. They'd decided to live in an upper-class district there, and station their investigative headquarters in an office Mello had bought while waiting for Kyle to be born. It was a gated community, with a security team and a monthly rent of $3 million. Kyle would grow up in luxury and safety. Matt's car was towed from L.A. to Massachusetts, a task Mello repaid with an enormous tip. The driver seemed less annoyed at them after seeing the money.

They watched the news coverage from their new living room in Boston. Swat and National Guard members had swarmed Mello's old building shortly after they had left. In total an estimated 36 casualties were found, none of which could be positively identified. The entire fiasco was linked to gang activity. Investigators searching through Senator Nathan McAllan's private email and journal had speculated to some amount of organized crime in downtown Los Angeles. Only one man had been found alive, passed out over the body of another in a posh office on the top floor.

Mello sighed. It could only be Dominic. The news was sparse with details, but they could gather that the police had taken the man into custody after he was released from the hospital. Whether he would be charged with any crimes had yet to be released, but the man was treated for a single bullet wound to the torso. This information confirmed Mello's suspicions. A single loose end, one they'd been unable to tie up. What would this mean for the future? He only hoped Dominic would be let go- they had no record that he'd done anything illegal.

Matt switched off the television. Kyle was asleep on the cushion between them, already a week old.

"Hey Mells," he said. "What're you thinking?"

Mello sighed. "I don't know. I really don't."

Matt was silent for a few minutes, studying one of Kyle's empty bottles which sat on the coffee table in front of them. "They won't arrest him, Mello. They have no proof that he was with you- hell, he could have been a hostage for all they know, completely uninvolved in the organization."

"I understand that." Mello said. "But one of California's most beloved senators got killed because of gang activity, and someone's got to pay for that. If he goes to trial it won't end well."

"You're probably right. Just don't worry about it too much? I want you to enjoy our son as much as I am."

Mello smiled half-heartedly. "You don't seem to enjoy feeding him at three in the morning…."

Matt frowned. "He sleeps all fucking day, Mello. Why the hell can't he just sleep at _night_ for once?!"

**Author's Note: And that, dear readers, is the end of the chapter. We covered a lot, I'm going to have to read it again. I'm not sure how many chapters this fic has left, but I do know two things:**

**1. There is going to be a sequel to this story. **

**2. It is going to be longer than this and cover Kyle growing up. No mafia drama, no angst. There will be conflict of course, but it's going to be a lot more funny and sitcom-ish than whatever this is. **

**So that's that. We've still got a little bit left with this story, but keep a look out for the second fic. It will be up shortly after this is finished. **

**Now that I'm done promoting a story that isn't written anywhere but my imagination yet, what did you guys think? Let me know in a review! **


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: I threw up another oneshot this week. Check it out, it's humorous and not creepy like the other one…. haa. **

**Chapter number goes here. **

"My fellow citizens, it is with great sorrow that we gather here today; because today we are here to celebrate the memory of one of California's greatest men. At first I declined the honor to deliver this message, because I felt that no matter what I said my words could never do justice to what a great man Senator Nathan McAllan was. But then I realized that the best way to demonstrate just how wonderful he was would be to share with you, with all of you, a story."

Mello stood amongst the crowd of people attending the memorial service for Senator McAllan. A week had passed since he and Matt had moved to Massachusetts. He'd flown back because details of Dominic's arrest were sparse, and to pay his last respects to a pawn who'd gotten caught up in a deadly game at precisely the wrong time. The mayor of California was delivering the eulogy, and a giant portrait of McAllan in his office, with both the California and the United States flags behind him, was displayed. Mello pulled his hood up, to both conceal his face and block out the unusually cold ocean breeze.

"When I was younger, just 19 in fact," the mayor said, "I was influenced by the greatest man I've met in my lifetime. I was faced with a choice. Some of you may know that gang activity is what led to my younger sister's untimely death, a result of the bullet of a careless thug. The hatred I felt for that faction was enough to tempt me into joining another, rival gang. I contemplated joining them, becoming the very thing I hated just to get revenge. But then I was given direction by none other than Senator McAllan. During one of his many programs orchestrated to reach out to families affected by inner-city gang activity, I got to meet with him. I told him my story and was instantly affected by the gentle understanding in his eyes, by the comforting warmth of his handshake. I knew this was a man I could trust, a man who genuinely wanted to end the reign of terror organized crime has on our state. I told him about my desire for revenge, and I even told him about my option of joining a faction to get that revenge. It was then that Senator McAllan gave me the greatest piece of advice I've ever been given. He showed me the real way to accomplish things, and to accomplish things with such a scope as to affect the entire state rather than just satisfy my need for justice. If it weren't for Senator McAllan's guidance, I would have joined a faction and likely died an early, violent death instead of running for office. From that point on I worked side by side the Senator to bring gang activity down.

"Unfortunately, some things never go away. The Senator's untimely death was caused by two feuding factions, the local Diamonds gang and an unnamed foreign organization. Through investigation we have discovered that the Diamonds were trying to blackmail Senator McAllan's good name with false claims of immoral behavior. It is not known to what extent the foreign faction was involved, only that the Reicher's Accounting Services, Inc. building was its headquarters and that the recent incident there involving police and SWAT teams was in actuality a battle between the two gangs. We may not know the details, but we do know that Senator McAllan's death was directly caused by the conflict between these two organizations. Fortunately, almost all of the identified members of these gangs perished in their own battle. The obvious exception is the man found alive at the time SWAT leader Joseph Kelson reached the top floor of the building."

The crowd hushed, anxious for news of the only man who could explain what actually happened inside the building that day. Mello's heart beat quickened. He was even more interested in Dom's status as a criminal than they were.

"After recovering, the man was interrogated by both local and federal agents. At first he claimed to be an innocent, a hostage in a very delicate situation, but eventually federal investigators were able to convince him to confess." The crowd gasped. "It was then determined, in a private trial before federal and state government members, that the man, Dominic Santiago, is responsible for at least 15 crimes against the state, and at least 5 federal crimes. He was not the leader of either gang, but rather a member of the faction he informed us was stationed somewhere in Europe. For those reasons, the last known remaining member of two violent, homicidal gangs has been sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment."

Mello scowled. This 'government justice' was missing some legality. They had just sentenced him to life on a whim, without a public trial? His heart fell. Dominic wouldn't last in prison. The only good outcome for him was death in that office, not to continue living in some government-mandated hell. He sighed. There was nothing he could do now, though. The heads of the Impeeri in Russia were outraged at Mello's failure. The only way to keep Matt and Kyle safe would be to lay low and keep the Russians under the impression that they too had died in the office. Mello couldn't go to them for help; Dominic was on his own.

"And so, although we will miss the Senator deeply, although his loss will be felt throughout the state for years, we can rest peacefully knowing his death was avenged and that, even though it cost him his life, he accomplished his dream- he brought down two of the most powerful factions in California."

His glare burned a path through the gathered people, who parted for him as he left. He made his way down the sidewalk, pushing Dominic and the last six years of his life from his thoughts.

Matt was at home with Kyle, trying to balance unpacking their belongings with caring for a newborn. It didn't help that government officials were calling every few hours as they worked to become familiar with the two new anonymous detectives. L had already informed the United States and Canadian governments about his new accomplices, and the leaders of the countries' respective investigative agencies were excited to get on good terms with the officially sanctioned geniuses now at their disposal.

"One box left for this room." He said to Kyle, who was laying half asleep on a blanket on the floor. "This is your daddy's study. Daddy Mello, that is. That's why it's filled with books and boring shit."

The baby naturally had no response, but Matt continued to speak to him as if he were holding a conversation. "I don't have an office, because I'm not pretentious." He chuckled. The last of Mello's books slid into its place on the shelf, and Matt stood up to admire his work. Sleek and organized, the new office suite they'd bought fit well with the room. It had just enough space to hold all of Mello's resources while having room reserved for new additions. He glanced to Kyle, who was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

"You don't move much, you know that?" He asked, bending to scoop him up. "And you don't say much. You kinda just sit there, or sleep. Put a Gameboy in your hand you'll look just like me…."

The phone rang again and Matt swore. Kyle began to pout as Matt moved, carrying him out of the office and into the living room to answer the business phone. He clipped the voice disguising mechanism to the phone, having not yet installed the permanent one inside the receiver yet.

"Hellur?" He asked annoyed. He'd instructed all three government agencies to call the office and leave messages, but they'd all insisted on calling the home emergency line. The voice on the other end began babbling in indecipherable Spanish. "Hey, h-hold it." Matt said. "I don't speak Spanish, okay? You're gonna have to call back later."

Kyle began to whimper, balling his fist in Matt's shirt and burying his face in his neck. Matt didn't notice, because the person on the other line continued to sound off like an overly enthusiastic Telemundo news anchor.

"Look lady, I can't understand you. Get that?" Matt raised his voice. "No habla Espana. Espanol. Espresso?" Kyle's whimpers turned into cries, and Matt tried to calm him. The woman kept chattering.

"NO HABLO!" Matt asserted. "CALL BACK LATER!" His voice scared Kyle, who began to wail loudly. The line went dead, then began to play festive Mexican music. "I'm…on hold?" He worked to calm Kyle down. Why was he crying? He'd changed his diaper earlier, he'd taken three naps since noon…what was wrong?

The other line picked up again, cutting the music off. "Hola!" A man exclaimed.

"For the last fucking time, NO HABLO MEXICAN!" Matt yelled.

"We are terribly sorry that there were some communication issues earlier!" The man said. His cheery mood annoyed Matt more than the first woman. "Please, allow me to inform you of the reason we are calling!" Everything this man said had to be accompanied with a smile, it was so optimistic. Kyle had stopped crying and had started rubbing his face on Matt's shoulder. Matt sighed in relief and prepared to handle whatever business what he assumed was the Mexican government had with him.

"Much better, thank you." he said. Kyle continued to rub his face against Matt's shoulder and neck.

"I am Hernando Montez, assistant to Rodrigo Velasquez, the chief of federal investigations for the country of Mexico."

"I assumed as much." Matt sighed. Kyle ground his face harder against Matt's neck.

"Si, Si." Hernando said cheerfully. "We were just calling to confirm we had the correct contact information for the new master detective service. I am glad to be speaking to one of the two investigators assigned to us by L himself."

"Yep, that's me. Assigned by L. But this isn't the right number." Matt said.

"I'm sorry?"

"This is the emergency number. For emergencies. The number you should call if you have need of our services was given to you along with the other information for our offices."

"Oh I understand." Hernando said. "I will make sure to tell everyone that."

"Thank you very much." Matt said. "It's been very hectic today as I tried to get moved into my new- AAAAHAHAAAA!" He screamed. Kyle had found his earlobe and began sucking, trying to nurse.

"Señor..señor?!" Hernando exclaimed. "Is everything alright?!"

Matt pulled Kyle away, prompting the newborn to begin crying loudly. "Uh, yeah everything's fine here. Sorry about that."

"You had me frightened, what happened?"

"Uh…spider." He ended the call and looked at Kyle, who was wailing at full volume. "So you're hungry, eh?"

Kyle continued to cry as Matt made a bottle, and Matt cursed because it was hard to measure formula with one hand while the other held an impatient newborn. Soon the bottle was warm and ready, though, and Kyle was happily sucking away his dinner. Matt started to hum a tune from Metal Gear Solid as a lullaby, and Kyle was calm and asleep in no time. He placed him in the crib to rest and looked at the mountain of boxes left to unpack, stifling a yawn. It was only 6 pm, and yet he was exhausted already.

He decided the boxes could wait until Mello got back from California and sat down on the couch to play a game. Five minutes later he fell asleep.

**Author's Note: Aww, just a week into parenting and already Matt's exhausted! Leave a review, why doncha? And be sure to check out my oneshots! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: **

***edit***

** I'm such a 'tard… In the last chapter I accidentally wrote that Mello and Matt's rent was $3 million a month. A MONTH. It should be $3 million a year…. **

**._. **

** Also I'm too lazy to go back and fix it, so just remember that from now on.**

* * *

Mello returned to their new home a few days later, his business in California officially over. No matter what happened to Dominic, that part of his life was gone. Erased, forgotten, never to be mentioned again. He wasn't Mello, the leader of the Russian Mafia anymore; he was Mello, the government agent. Mello, the chief detective of the North and South American investigative team, Mello the father to a two-week old baby boy.

He wasn't surprised to see that Matt hadn't finished unpacking their few boxes. They had left most of their belongings in the abandoned apartment in L.A., resolving to take only what could be packed quickly, books, movies, clothes and such, and to buy new furnishings and appliances in Massachusetts. Mello was fine with this, of course, until he began inspecting their financial reports. A rather large sum of money was suspiciously absent.

"Hey Matt?" He called to the redhead from his study. Matt reported to the summon carrying a sleeping Kyle, wiping the remnants of a feeding from his round, pale face.

"Yeah babe?"

"What did we spend $500,000 on last month?"

"Hmm…" Matt thought, gently rocking baby Kyle in his arms. "Well, we bought some stocks in that technical company in India.."

"After that," Mello prompted, underlining the expenditure in his ledger. He preferred to figure all of his monetary information by hand first, and then convert it to a digital document. Tangible math kept things in perspective, he would assert.

"Umm…old debt to the organization?"

"Nonsense; I paid them off in full months ago. Before we even met Alice."

"I don't know Mells." Matt said. "Which bank is it?"

"The one in France. There is a notice that we moved some funds into bank here in the U.S., but I can't figure out what account we moved it to or why we did."

"Ohhh…" Matt blushed, biting his lip. "I kinda gave Alice a bonus when we moved."

Mello's eyebrow cocked sharply. "I see. When were you planning on telling me this?"

"I kinda forgot." Matt smiled crookedly, adjusting Kyle to lie more comfortably. "I mean, you were gone for a few days, I just shifted the funds..it was over in like twenty seconds. Totally didn't occur to me to tell you."

"Relax love, I'm not mad." Mello smiled, standing to glance down at Kyle's sleeping face. "I have no problem with you giving Alice a bonus. Hell, she'll probably get several more over the years." He kissed Matt on the forehead before walking to the door. "Just try to let me know so I can keep track."

"Or you could do it all on the computer and have it instantly worked out…" Matt called to him as Mello left the room.

That night, they took Kyle out for the first time. Aside from the short waiting periods between flights and the cab ride to their new house, they hadn't been public with their baby. Matt was nervous at first, remembering the issues kids at Wammy's had had with their relationship and not wanting to subject Kyle or Mello and himself to the criticism of others.

"Relax love." Mello said. "No one is going to say anything."

Matt frowned, pulling the cover of Kyle's stroller over the top, shutting out the cold northern wind and blocking him from the views of other pedestrians. Mello wore his usual black leather coat, while Matt had adorned a thick sweater, striped of course. "This isn't Los Angeles." He said. "I swear, if anyone says anything I'll kick their asses. You know I will, Mells…."

Mello chuckled and pushed the stroller along the sidewalk. It was only late evening. They had decided to take a walk around the neighborhood and window shop for house decorations. It was almost Christmas, and Matt was adamant that they buy a tree, as well as replacing their stockings and other Christmas supplies. They'd agreed not to spend _too _much money on Kyle, since he wasn't even a month old yet and already had a whole nursery room full of things he wouldn't use for months. After a few hours, though, and after picking out the tree they wanted to buy, they decided to return home; the night chill was sneaking through their clothes, and they didn't want Kyle to get sick from the cold. The Christmas tree would be delivered within the week.

"Now see?" Mello said in the cab after giving directions to their house to the driver. "No one even gave us a second glance." He was holding Kyle, the stroller folded neatly beneath Matt's feet in the floorboard.

"Yeah…It was still more comfortable when you could see three gay couples in any direction." Matt laughed. "I didn't spot a single one."

"I'm sure there are more. It's Massachusetts, it's a pretty liberal state to begin with. They didn't seem to have a problem with us renting a house, now did they?"

"You're right." Matt chuckled. "Speaking of which, thanks for that."

"For what?"

"The house. You picked out an actual house instead of some apartment or timeshare thing or buying a hotel to turn into a fort."

Mello laughed. "So?"

"It's..nicer. More homey, I guess."

"It _is _a home. I'm pretty sure they're supposed to feel homey."

"That's not what I meant." Matt rolled his eyes. "I mean it feels permanent. Like we're really a family, and we're settling down instead of moving into another temporary hideout."

Mello nodded. "I know what you mean love, I was just giving you a hard time."

The cab pulled to the gate of their community, and Mello passed him the pass card. The driver scanned the card in the security terminal and the gates swung open. They pulled into the street loop, houses on both sides of the car, before exiting. Mello paid the cabbie and they turned to face their new home.

It was designed in the same theme as the rest of the neighborhood, a two-story, modern wooden house with a high, angled roof and large windows on the second floor. Each house was accented with a different color, but they all had the same look about them. Their house was covered in dark red cedar siding, with the window shutters and door panels painted a dark hunter green. It had a sense of masculinity about it, which was the reason Mello had chosen it. They hadn't bothered with meeting the neighbors yet; they'd make acquaintances whenever they got around to it.

Once inside, Matt placed Kyle in the crib in his room. They got to work on unpacking the last of the boxes. Matt complained the entire time, but eventually everything was in its place and Mello allowed him to sit down. They were still affected by the time zone change; they didn't know if they were supposed to be tired or not, but it was 10 pm and they didn't feel like sleeping yet. Tomorrow was Mello's first day at the newly established detective agency; he knew he should sleep to be rested for work, but the lack of fatigue assured that going to bed would be pointless since he'd just lay there.

Neither he nor Matt had to really spend _any _time at the agency. They had hired a host of employees to watch phones and monitor major crime stories. The subsidiary agencies in the other countries were also monitoring crime reports. If any trends were found, they were to be reported. Aside from that, the agency was inactive. Until a report came or a government official requested a meeting, Mello and Matt had nothing to do with their new occupation. Nevertheless, Mello wanted to become acquainted with the staff of the central office.

L had called earlier that day, to ask how the agency formation was coming along and reminding them to meet with the governments of the smaller South American countries. Matt had wanted to visit the more exotic countries for fun, but Mello had insisted those countries' governments send ambassadors instead.

Now, with nothing to do and no need for sleep, Mello retired to his office to figure more finances. Matt had stayed in the living room to organize his game collection, giving Mello a comfortable silence in which to do his calculations. In sum, they still had $250 million in reserve, separated in three different foreign banks and drawing huge amounts of interest yearly. Their domestic account held an additional $6 million. This was the account they used for daily needs like shopping and paying bills. Mello owned stocks in nearly every major company; Matt had a natural talent for recognizing trends as well as predicting odds, so their luck in the stock market had been extremely profitable. There was never going to be a lack of money in their lifetime, and a ghost account in Switzerland assured Kyle would be just as wealthy whenever he got out on his own. He was writing the final totals in his ledger when Matt came in and sat in the chair on the other side of Mello's desk.

"I'm finished with my games." he said, sinking down in the leather chair. "What are you doing?"

"I was finishing last month's finance report." Mello closed the ledger and put it away. "How's the baby?"

"Asleep. For now, anyway. Give him another two hours or so and he'll be wide awake."

Mello smirked. "He prefers the night, it seems."

"Yeah..like Batman."

Mello laughed, but Matt was serious it seemed. He turned on the computer monitor and entered his password, pulling up the finance program that he used to keep his records digitally.

"Are you tired?" Matt asked quietly. The question was charged with intent. Mello eyed Matt suspiciously.

"Not particularly.." He answered.

Matt grinned wolfishly. "Wanna do something?"

"I was planning on looking at the order invoices for the agency. They bought a lot of materials, apparently."

Matt's face contorted into a pout. "I see. What kind of materials?"

Mello clicked the mouse, opening the report file. "Hmm…100 new computers…..30 telephones…200 desks…office chairs…waste bins…etc."

"That sounds hideously boring, Mello." Matt complained. "Why don't we do something a little more fun?"

Mello cocked an eyebrow. "We already went out tonight, Matt."

Matt slumped even more in his chair. Mello returned his gaze to the computer, studying the invoice. His chief financial officer's name was Alex Montgomery, and the man had given him a thorough report. He made a note to commend him the next day. Matt continued to sit in his chair silently as Mello worked, twiddling his thumbs and tapping his feet in boredom until he lost all patience and leaned over the desk, turning Mello's head from the computer to face him and kissing the blonde sensually. Mello responded slowly, savoring the feel of Matt's lips on his own. He stood from his own chair and pulled Matt closer to him, running his fingers through Matt's hair and deepening the kiss. Matt moaned quietly and tangled his own fingers in Mello's long hair, kissing the blond harder and harder. No longer slow, soft kisses, their lips began to mash together much more fiercely. Matt's tongue slipped between Mello's lips, gracefully moving over Mello's own.

Mello reached over the desk and began stroking Matt through his jeans, a noticeable hardness already beginning to form there. Matt moaned again and broke the kiss, pulling away to look Mello in the eyes. He studied the Mello's expression for a quick second, adoring the mixture of love and lust behind the vibrant blue orbs before kissing him again. Mello's hand moved from Matt's pelvis to his shoulders. He grabbed the unzipped opening of Matt's hoodie and pulled him to the side of the desk, then hurriedly walking him to the wall where their mouths sought each other once again. Matt pulled Mello even closer to him, placing one hand behind Mello's head while they kissed and the other at Mello's elbow. Mello's hands were on Matt's face, his neck, his chest, moving frantically over the other boy's body in a desperate need to feel him.

Their kisses were frantic now, quick and heated. Mello finally pulled away, brushing his hair behind his ear to kiss Matt's neck and pull his hoodie off as Matt gasped for breath. Matt sighed and leaned his head to the side, opening up his neck and collar for Mello's hungry lips. He chewed his bottom lip to suppress another moan before pushing Mello away and against the wall, swapping place with the blond. Mello took the change of position in stride and kissed Matt's lips before Matt began biting his own collar, gently nipping through Mello's white button-up shirt. Matt's hands moved slowly over Mello's torso, clutching at the man's abs and back as he slowly sank to his knees before him. He grinned coyly at Mello and slowly, torturously slowly, reached to grasp Mello's cock through his pants. Mello gritted his teeth and looked down at Matt, his eyes begging Matt to move faster. Matt was in the mood to play, however, and took his time, instead rubbing up Mello's inner thigh and squeezing his butt before finally asking Mello to unbutton his pants.

Mello hastily complied, unbuckling his belt and pulling his jeans down. Matt smiled at the tell-tale lump in Mello's boxers, but decided the other man wasn't aroused enough just yet. He looked up at Mello and licked his lips, then inched his open mouth towards Mello's groin before closing It and leaning away, repeating the frustrating action three or four times before Mello's hips involuntarily shifted out towards Matt's face. The redhead smiled at Mello, proud of his teasing, then inched his face closer again, this time relenting and closing his mouth on the bulge in Mello's boxers. Mello groaned and placed his hand behind Matt's head, gently keeping the boy's face close. Matt began to pull away but Mello's fingers clutched a handful of red hair and he pulled Matt's head even closer. Matt didn't object. Mello, lost in arousal, ground his cock against Matt's cheek, needing some sensation to relieve the tension inside of him. Matt brought his hands up to unsheathe Mello's member, eyeing it hungrily when it sprang from the boxers fully aroused and begging for attention. Mello steadied himself with his hands against the wall as Matt's lips kissed a slow trail of fire down the length of his dick. Matt's hands went to Mello's thighs, clutching them as his lips finally closed over the tip of Mello's swollen member, which was proudly displayed between the split at the bottom of Mello's shirt. Mello hastily unfastened the bottom two buttons of his shirt, but Matt paused and helped him remove the entire thing before returning to his task.

Matt began to take more of Mello into his mouth, sucking a little more in each time before pulling it back out. Mello's nails dug into the wall as he tried to refrain from grabbing Matt's head and forcing the whole thing in at once. Matt's hands were on Mello's hips, rocking them subtly with every bob of his head until Mello began to thrust on his own. He opened his mouth wider and dropped his jaw, taking every glorious inch of Mello's cock into his mouth while cupping his testicles. Mello found a rhythm and placed his hands on Matt's head, pushing himself as far as Matt could accommodate. Matt made low moans as the tip thrust beyond the beginning of his throat; the vibration caused Mello to moan himself, a deep, throaty noise that he rarely uttered.

Matt rubbed his own erection through his jeans as Mello thrust into his mouth. Mello slowed himself, his breath ragged and gasping as he pulled out of Matt's mouth. He helped Matt to stand and guided him to his desk, laying the redhead on his back and tearing at the zipper on his jeans. He had no need for teasing, as Matt was already stiff and waiting for him. He tugged the other boy's underwear off and closed his hands around his cock, gently fondling before closing his mouth on the tip and pulling it in halfway. His hand worked at the bottom, in sync with the movements of his mouth as he quickly brought Matt to the same peak of lust he was at. Matt was much more vocal, moaning loud, drawn out noises as Mello worked. His hands clenched the sides of Mello's desk and his back arched on occasion; the noises Matt made were enough to drive Mello insane. He wanted to hear more. He relished every sound, taking more pleasure in the fact that he was pleasing Matt than if he were actually being touched.

"Fuck..Mello.." Matt gasped, eyes clenched tightly shut. "Mmph…"

Mello brought his finger to his mouth, sucking quickly before using it to tease Matt's hole. Matt shivered as Mello pulled away with one final, slow suckle and kicked his shoes off as Mello opened a drawer in his desk and returned with lube.

"Wha..Why do you have that in here?" Matt asked with a laugh.

"Let's just say I've had this fantasy for a while now.." Mello answered, his voice low and husky. After thoroughly preparing Matt, he turned the boy onto his stomach and teased his entrance with the tip of his cock. Matt held his breath as Mello grabbed his hips and filled him with one thrust, pausing to let Matt adjust before beginning to move again. Matt was used to Mello's size by now, but Mello always tried to be gentle with the smaller man. He pulled out slowly, but Matt reached back and grabbed his hips to pull him in again. He relented and thrust in again, finding a rhythm like before and holding onto Matt's hips. Matt's moans turned into cries for more, and Mello sped up as Matt called to a God he didn't believe in. His own breath became short and his thrusts more irregular and staggered as he worked to finish, one hand reaching in front of Matt to work the boy's member. Matt finished first, spilling onto Mello's desk. With Matt done, Mello lost control and thrust harder, pulling out just in time to cum on Matt's lower back. Out of breath and thoroughly exhausted, Matt lay on the table riding out the high of climax as Mello pulled his office chair behind himself and collapsed into the leather.

Matt was right. There was absolutely nothing for him to do at the office. He'd already met all 200 of his employees, learned their names and duties, and read every report put before him. Reports from the sister agencies in the other countries had been looked over too. He was bored, and he was wishing _someone_ would start kidnapping someone or hacking into the servers of banks thousands of miles apart, just so he'd have something to do.

In the end, he'd just told his office manager to forward all calls and emails to his house and went home. He wasn't sure yet how to adapt to this new occupation. In a way, it was just like the Mafia. He was the supreme authority on everything, and everyone worked hard to earn his favor. But it was still different- his employees didn't respect him out of fear for their lives. He'd have to earn their respect over time, and Mello wasn't great with normal social interaction.

At home, he helped Matt decorate the newly delivered tree for Christmas. They stopped working several times to take pictures of Kyle amongst the holiday decorations. Matt had started a baby book, so they'd been working to fill the pages of the 'first month' chapter. As they slowly adjusted to a life of parenting instead of hiding and killing, the usually pessimistic Matt went to bed hopeful every night, and looking forward to mornings for the first time in his life.

As Christmas approached with every passing day, they became completely absorbed with their duties as fathers. Mello learned how to change diapers and make bottles, and Matt worked to document every second of baby Kyle's early life. They had no idea what they were doing, but they learned as they went. And on Christmas Eve, as Matt sat beside Mello on the couch holding a sleeping Kyle, after thinking over the past year and everything they'd experienced, sacrificed, and gained, he leaned his head over on Mello's shoulder and sighed,

"His hair is totally changing to red, babe."

* * *

**Author's Note: *tears* Well you guys, this was the last chapter in this fic. The. Last. Chapter. **

**OMYGOSHTHETEARS, THE TEARS!**

**I really enjoyed writing this. I'm extremely thankful for all of you who read and reviewed. Your love for the story is what fueled its creation. I cannot express how much respect I have for all of you, it means that much to me. **

**Where do we go from here? Well, I'm going to take a break. A short one. To write other fics and focus a little bit harder on my school work, try to actually pass next semester. But I will return, this story will return, in the form of a new fic. I've already seen glimpses of what's in store, but nothing is concrete yet except that it will chronicle Kyle's life, from newborn to at least his graduating high school. Matt and Mello will have tough cases to work, friends and alliances to make, and a son that's just a little ****_too_**** much like them to raise. That's all I know now. **

**Oh yeah, I forgot something. This little scene right here….**

Dominic Santiago laid half-conscious against the wall in his cell, his large cell mate smiling deviously at him from across the room. He'd been here for almost a month, and the nightly beatings still hadn't stopped.

15 years. 15 years at _least_.

Some protestors had come out of the woodwork and challenged the legality of his trial, resulting in his sentence being lowered from life to this. But still, after only a month he knew he wouldn't survive. He wasn't capable to survive this, physically. He'd started doing rec time in the gym, and his body was beginning to bulk up, but his cell mate still had almost 100 pounds on him. He was going to go insane, stuck here with nothing to do but think and plead with another man over his own life.

But he had to survive.

He had to get out.

Serve his sentence or escape, one.

He had to get out.

He forced open one blood encrusted eye and glanced at the wall, where he kept his meager allowances of outside items. Right above the magazines and a plastic coffee cup, scratched into the concrete wall with a shard of metal he'd wrestled away from his mate, was a single word.

A name.

Mello.

**That's all folks! Please review, not for this chapter but for the fic as a whole. Even if you don't usually review, if you just read and go on (which I still appreciate your reading if you do this,) let me know what you thought of the story. **

**Some question's I'd like you all to answer, if you would please:**

**First- Did you like the last chapter? Let me know that at least. **

**What was your favorite part of the story?**

**Least favorite?**

**Is there anything you want me to stop doing? **

**Anything you want to see in the new fic?**

**And lastly-**

**What did you think of my OCs? (Alice, Robert, Marcus, Dom…) I didn't want them to play a significant role in the story, but it kinda ended up that way. The story practically wrote itself, I had no choice but to let it flow the way it wanted. **

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW AND ANSWER SOME, IF NOT ALL OF THESE FOR ME. **

**I need feedback so I can make the sequel good. **

**Thank you for reading, I can't wait to see all of you again in the sequel, which is currently under the working title of "Baby Business." **

**Much love and appreciation, **

**Trumpee~**


	27. Regarding The Sequel?

**Author's Note: **

**Well, I'm sorry to have raised your hopes guys, but this isn't the first chapter of the sequel. **

**No, this is just an announcement ****_about_**** the sequel. **

**I know it's been a pretty long wait, and judging from the several PMs I've gotten since Baby Bargain was finished, you guys can't wait for the sequel. **

**Neither can I. **

**That's why I'm happy to announce that the first few chapters of Baby Business (working title) are in production. **

**I don't have an official release date yet, but I am certain that it will not be published until after my current fic, L and Company, is completed. **

**That should be done soon. **

**Until then, be sure to catch up on my other fics and…**

**wait, what's this?**

**I have a twitter? **

**Where you can follow me for updates, shout outs, hints, teasers, and insights?**

**Comments, Q&As, fan art, reblogs, and just overall interesting stuff pertaining to my stories, you readers, and the fandom as a whole?**

**Holy fekk, can it be?**

**Yes! **

**trumpee has a twitter, and you should follow her. **

**Even if you don't have a twitter. **

**Create one. Just to follow trumpee. **

** FanFicTrumpee**

**Here's a link in case you need it: **

** /FanFicTrumpee**

**I can't wait for all of you to follow me- it'll take your involvement in the sequel to a whole other level. **

**~trumpee~**


	28. GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!

**Author's Note: **

**Hmmm...what was I going to say? **

**oh yeah.**

**THE SEQUEL HAS BEEN PUBLISHED! **

**Search for Baby Business! **


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